1. Jerry Mateparae was born on 14 November 1954 to the Andrews family in Wanganui.
21 Facts About Jerry Mateparae
1. 2.
Jerry Mateparae was given to his mother's brother, a Mateparae, to be raised in the Maori customary adoption known as whangai.
3.
Jerry Mateparae is descended from the Ngati Tuwharetoa and Ngati Kahungunu tribes and has links to Tuhoe and tribes in the upper Whanganui.
4.
Jerry Mateparae was raised in the Whanganui suburb of Castlecliff and attended Castlecliff Primary School, Rutherford Intermediate School and Wanganui High School.
5.
Jerry Mateparae enlisted as a private in the Regular Force of the New Zealand Army in June 1972.
6.
Jerry Mateparae served in both battalions of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment and in the New Zealand Special Air Service.
7.
Jerry Mateparae was a platoon commander in Singapore in 1979.
8.
Jerry Mateparae had two operational postings to peace support missions, one 12-month tour of duty with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization as the Chief Observer in Southern Lebanon from May 1994 to May 1995, and commanding the combined-force Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville during Operation Belisi in 1998.
9.
In February 2002, Jerry Mateparae was promoted to major general and became the Chief of General Staff.
10.
Jerry Mateparae was appointed for a five-year term commencing on 7 February 2011 but stepped down from the role on 1 July 2011.
11.
On 20 May 2011, Jerry Mateparae was appointed an Additional Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and as an Additional Companion of the Queen's Service Order.
12.
Jerry Mateparae became Chancellor and Principal Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and Principal Companion of the Queen's Service Order upon taking office as governor-general, making him "His Excellency Lieutenant General The Right Honourable Sir Jeremiah Mateparae GNZM QSO".
13.
On 14 November 2012 Jerry Mateparae hosted a party for the 64th birthday of Charles, Prince of Wales who was visiting New Zealand, and for 64 New Zealanders, all of whom shared the same birthday of 14 November.
14.
Jerry Mateparae expanded on a tradition started by his predecessor, Sir Anand Satyanand in 2012, releasing the Governor-General's New Year Message on video for the first time.
15.
On 16 December 2016, it was announced that Jerry Mateparae would be New Zealand's next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, replacing Sir Lockwood Smith in early 2017.
16.
In September 2024, Jerry Mateparae was chosen by the government of Papua New Guinea to serve as moderator in negotiations between the central government and the Autonomous Bougainville Government in the lead-up to the planned independence of Bougainville in 2027.
17.
Jerry Mateparae visited Bougainville in November 2024 along with UN officials to meet with stakeholders in the region.
18.
Jerry Mateparae has three children with his first wife, Raewynne, who died in 1990, and two with his second wife, Janine.
19.
Jerry Mateparae has a Master of Arts with First Class Honours degree in international relations and strategic studies from the University of Waikato, and received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Waikato in 2008.
20.
Jerry Mateparae is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management.
21.
Jerry Mateparae was appointed an Additional Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 1999 New Year Honours, for his service in Bougainville.