25 Facts About Cindy Kiro

Cindy Kiro was born in Whangarei in 1958, the eldest child of six.

Cindy Kiro is of Maori and English descent, affiliating with Nga Puhi, Ngati Kahu, and Ngati Hine iwi.

Cindy Kiro's father was Norman Simpson, who was originally from the north of England.

Cindy Kiro was raised by her mother's parents for part of her early life and took their surname of Kiro.

Cindy Kiro grew up in South Auckland and West Auckland.

Cindy Kiro's grandparents moved to South Auckland, living at Otara and then Mangere.

Cindy Kiro's parents moved to Auckland and the family lived at New Lynn and Te Atatu in West Auckland.

Cindy Kiro then joined the first cohort of social work students at Massey University in Palmerston North and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences from the University of Auckland.

In 1987 Cindy Kiro gained a certificate in epidemiology from the European University Institute in Fiesole, Italy.

From 1995 to 2000, Cindy Kiro was a senior lecturer in social policy at Massey University in Albany.

Cindy Kiro went on to gain a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Auckland.

Cindy Kiro was appointed New Zealand's Children's Commissioner in 2003 and served in this role until 2008.

Cindy Kiro supported and advocated for the repeal of Section 59 of the Crimes Act, which provided a legal justification for using force against children.

Cindy Kiro returned to academia, as an associate professor at Massey University and heading its School of Public Health.

In 2013 Cindy Kiro took a position as head of Te Kura Maori at the School of Education at Victoria University of Wellington.

Cindy Kiro went on to serve as the Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Auckland.

In October 2020 Cindy Kiro was appointed chief executive of the Royal Society Te Aparangi, commencing on 1 March 2021.

Cindy Kiro is the first Maori woman to be appointed governor-general.

Cindy Kiro gave her first royal assent as governor-general on 27 October, when she gave assent to the Financial Sector Amendment Act 2021 and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Legislation Act 2021.

Cindy Kiro made her first international visit as governor-general in May 2022, when she travelled to Abu Dhabi to represent New Zealand at the official condolence ceremony for Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the late president of the United Arab Emirates.

In 2012, Cindy Kiro received the Public Health Champion award from the Public Health Association of New Zealand, and a US Fulbright Travel Award.

On 9 August 2021, Cindy Kiro was appointed an additional Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and an additional Companion of the Queen's Service Order in preparation for becoming governor-general.

On 21 October 2021, Cindy Kiro was appointed a Dame of the Order of Saint John by the Queen and appointed a prior of the same order as the governor-general.

In 2022, Cindy Kiro was awarded an honorary Doctor of Health degree by Massey University.

Cindy Kiro was married to architect, later teacher, Chris Kuchel for 30 years, and had two sons with him.