Jerry Mateparae

Sir Jerry Mate Para, ( born November 14, 1954 in Whanganui, New Zealand) was from 2006 to Lieutenant General and Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force and has held since 31 August 2011, the Office of the Governor General of New Zealand.

Early years

Belonging to the tribe of Ngāti Tuwharetoa and Ngāti Kahungunu to, with links to the Ngai Tuhoe, Jeremiah Mate Para, was born on 14 November 1954 in the poorer area of ​​Whanganui. His father Sam Andrew worked in the cold store in the city. No sooner born, Jeremiah's parents gave him from the spouses Rangiwhaiuru Mate Para and his wife Rangitunoa. Later he took the last name of his foster parents. Both Jeremiah's biological father and his foster father Rangiwhaiuru, were called apostles minister ( pastor ) of the Ratana Church. Jeremiah attended successively the Castlecliff Primary School, Rutherford Intermediate School and Wanganui High School.

Military career

In June 1972, he entered the military service one, completed a three-year training as a simple soldier, graduated in 1976 at the Officer Cadet School in Portsea in Victoria, Australia, and joined the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. He also served in the New Zealand Special Air Service.

Further developments followed the military schools of the British Army Staff College, Camberley, England in 1989, 1995 at the Australian Joint Services Staff College in Canberra and in 1999 the Royal College of Defence Studies in London. At the University of Waikato in 1996, he completed a course of study with a Master of Arts on the subject of International Relations and Strategy Studies with honors.

From May 1994 to May 1995 he was stationed for the United Nations as observers in southern Lebanon, commanded in 1998 the so-called Truce Monitoring Group, which should control in the surgery operation Belisi the ceasefire in the civil war on the island of Bougainville, and was from December 1999 to July 2001 in the International Force East Timor ( INTERFET ) in East Timor in use.

On 1 May 2002 Mate Para, was head of the New Zealand Army and promoted to lieutenant general on 1 May 2006. He was the first Māori descendant who got this position in New Zealand. On 7 February 2011, he was Director of the Government Communications Security Bureau, a position he gave but quickly reunited with his appointment as Governor-General on 31 August 2011 from.

He is married and has two daughters and three sons.

Awards

• 2011 - Honorary Doctorate from Massey University, awarded on 12 May 2011
• 2011 - Knights Grand Companion ( GNZM ) of the New Zealand Order of Merit, awarded on 20 May 2011
• 2011 - Distinguished Service Order, awarded on 30 May 2011 by the President of Singapore, Sellapan Ramanathan