Defence Portfolio
Briefing to the Incoming Government 2005
Roles and Organisation of the Ministry of Defence and the NZDF (continued)
The New Zealand Army
The Chief of Army (CA) commands the Army. The Army General Staff, as part of HQ NZDF, supports the CA in prescribing the Army's structural and operational capabilities, measuring the preparedness of those capabilities, directing training activities, and managing Army personnel and resources. In addition, the Logistic Executive, based at Trentham but part of Army General Staff, manages the Army's equipment, works requirements, and all maintenance.
Army Capabilities
The Army is required to be capable of conducting land-based operations in defence of New Zealand and its interests. The Army must therefore be organised, equipped and trained to:
- Provide a flexible range of units and subunits from which the Government can select a contribution to a combined, coalition or collective force, including a UN force;
- Provide for the period 2005-2008 a readily deployable company sized task group with national command and support elements for continuous commitment able to respond to lower-level contingencies in the region or to serve as a New Zealand contribution to an allied force;
- Provide for the period 2005-2008 a specialised forces detachment for six months in one 18-month period;
- Provide a surge capacity for the period 2005-2008 one battalion sized task group with a national command and support element for a six-month period able to respond to lower-level contingencies in the region or to serve as a New Zealand contribution to an allied force;
- Maintain a base support structure to sustain operational forces; and
- Provide the ability to maintain effective operational and training relationships with allies.
The Land Combat Forces, consist of command, control and intelligence elements, and infantry, and reconnaissance force elements, mounted in Light Armoured Vehicles and Light Operational Vehicles. These forces are drawn from 2 Land Force Group and 3 Land Force Group and are prepared to conduct land operations. These forces are available to provide a range of contributions up to a battalion group (as in Timor Leste) or to contribute individual force elements to a peace support operation or a coalition force.
The Land Combat Support Forces, consist of artillery, engineers and communications force elements, drawn from 2 Land Force Group and 3 Land Force Group and are prepared to conduct land operations in support of the Land Combat Forces.
The Land Combat Service Support Forces, consist of transport, movements, medical, supply, repair and recovery and military police force elements, and are drawn from 2 Land Force Group and 3 Land Force Group and are prepared to conduct land operations in support of the Land Combat and Land Combat Support Forces.
There are other specialist tasks that are undertaken by Army which include:
- The 1st NZ Special Air Service (SAS) Group, which is prepared to conduct specialised forces tasks in support of land operations, including:
- Strategic reconnaissance and direct action tasks in support of coalition operations;
- Counter-terrorist operations in New Zealand or in the South Pacific when requested; and
- The disposal of improvised explosive devices and the neutralisation of chemical, biological and radiological explosive devices within New Zealand.
Organisation of the New Zealand Army
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- CA retains full command of the NZ Army and is responsible for managing the Army's capability to deliver operational outputs.
- COMJFNZ is responsible for the operational command of all assigned force elements on Output Class 16 operations and for mutually agreed joint and combined training.
Chief of Army - Major-General J. (Jerry) Mateparae ONZM
Major General Mateparae was born in November 1954. He enlisted into the Regular Force of the New Zealand Army in June 1972. After three years service as a soldier, he graduated in December 1976 from the Officer Cadet School at Portsea Australia, to the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (RNZIR).
Major General Mateparae has had Regimental and Staff appointments in the New Zealand Defence Force. These include command at platoon, company and battalion level in the New Zealand Infantry Battalions and he has also served with the New Zealand Special Air Service. He commanded the First Battalion RNZIR. His other appointments include Chief Instructor at the New Zealand Army's Tactical School, Staff Officer Operations at New Zealand's Army Training Group and Army General Staff and Director of Force Development, Headquarters New Zealand Defence Force.
In December 1999, Major General Mateparae was promoted and assumed the appointment as the New Zealand Army's Land Commander. In July 2001 he was re-appointed as the Land Component Commander in the Headquarters of Joint Forces New Zealand. Major General Mateparae was promoted and took up his current appointment as Chief of Army in February 2002.
Major General Mateparae has had two operational postings to peace support missions. He commanded the combined-force Truce Monitoring Group on Bougainville during OPERATION BELISI in 1998. He also had one 12 month tour of duty with the United Nations Truce Supervisory Organisation (UNTSO) as the Chief Observer in Southern Lebanon from May 1994 to May 1995. From December 1999 to July 2001, Major General Mateparae was the Joint Commander for New Zealand forces in Timor Leste.
Major General Mateparae has attended courses and training with the British, Australian, Singaporean, Malaysian and American armies. He is a graduate of the British Staff College, Camberley, the Australian Joint Services Staff College, the USCINCPAC Symposium on East Asian Security and the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom. He has a Master of Arts with First Class Honours from the University of Waikato, and is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management.
Major General Mateparae was made an Additional Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the January 1999 New Year's Honours List for his service in Bougainville.
Major General Mateparae is married to Janine, and they have five children. His interests include reading, (watching) sport, homeopathy, keeping fit and helping Janine in the kitchen.
