Defence Force Chief Delivers Anzac Address

PUBLICITY RELEASE
THURSDAY, APRIL 15 2010

Defence Force Chief Delivers Anzac Address

New Zealand Defence Force Chief Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae will deliver this year’s ANZAC ADDRESS for Maori Television.

The address will be broadcast as part of the station’s all-day ANZAC Day coverage on Sunday, April 25 at 8.00 PM.

Lieutenant General Mateparae, who is of Ngati Tuwharetoa descent, has been the chief of the New Zealand Defence Force since 2006.

His stellar career in the armed forces includes leading New Zealand’s peace monitoring team in Papua New Guinea in 1998, a role for which he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. He also served for three years in the New Zealand Special Air Service.

LtGen Mateparae says he feels honoured and humbled to be asked to give this year’s ANZAC ADDRESS on Maori Television.
He believes New Zealand’s experience at ANZAC Cove, the subsequent fighting at Gallipoli, and our country’s collective experience with wars since, are an important part of our heritage.
In his address he will argue that in continuing to commemorate ANZAC Day, we ensure that we preserve that heritage for future generations.
The focus of the address is the notion that New Zealanders have, and continue to express their sense of national identity by showing a willingness to serve, often far from home, for good causes.
This desire to serve our nation and its people for a better future is a part of a collective approach to citizenship.
"To my mind there should be a repugnance to war,” he says. “But equally, we should celebrate the fact that sometimes when freedoms, liberties and our quality of life are threatened there are people who choose to fight to ensure their protection, or re-instatement."
Maori Television chief executive Jim Mather says ANZAC Day marks an important episode in our history.

“It reminds us of what we lost during those years of conflict, but it also lets us celebrate the nation we have become,” he says.

“As someone who dedicated his career to serving our nation, LtGen Mateparae understands the meaning and relevance of ANZAC Day today. He is an exceptional leader and we are thrilled to have him deliver this year’s ANZAC ADDRESS.”

Wanganui-raised, LtGen Mateparae joined the army aged 18 in 1972.

He moved steadily through the ranks, gaining regimental and staff appointments, before being appointed Army land commander in 1999 and Army Chief in 2002.

He led New Zealand units that were part of international forces in Papua New Guinea and Lebanon, and he jointly commanded the New Zealand forces in East Timor from 1999 to 2001.

The LtGen also has an impressive academic record. He is a graduate of defence colleges in Australia and the United Kingdom, and he has a Master of Arts with First Class Honours in international relations and strategic studies from the University of Waikato.

The ANZAC ADDRESS has become a regular feature of Maori Television’s all-day ANZAC Day broadcast. Former chief of the Australian Defence Force General Peter Cosgrove did last year’s honours, while Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Peter Arnett spoke in 2007.

The ANZAC ADDRESS screens on Sunday, April 25 at 8.00 PM on Maori Television.

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