Well done to those NZDF recipients...
Officers (ONZM) -
Major General Evan George Williams, for services to the New Zealand Defence Force
NZ Army Officer earns New Year Honour for work in Sinai peacekeeping
Empathy, humility, patience and perseverance are the secret to working in the Middle East, according to New Zealand Army’s Major General Evan Williams.
It’s these traits, displayed in his role as force commander for the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, that have helped him become an Officer of The New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2024 New Year Honours. The MFO is a neutral arbiter in monitoring the security provisions of the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. It comprises about 1100 international military personnel and an additional 700 local civilian staff.
The posting is his swansong before retiring after 39-plus years in the NZ Army, topping out a wide range of leadership and command positions in the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). Major General Williams, from Te Aroha, started the MFO role in late 2019 and was intending to retire in September 2023. However, the MFO asked him to return and he will continue as force commander until March 2024. “It’s about four words - empathy, humility, patience and perseverance,” Major General Williams said. “That’s it. If a force commander can master those four traits, it’s as simple as that.”
Major General Williams’ citation lauds his leadership and drive as the MFO continued to carry out operations despite being hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic and an ongoing ISIS-led insurgency. He also worked tirelessly to establish and develop personal relationships and trust with the Egyptian and Israeli militaries. An example of his value as a broker and negotiator between the two parties was the signing of only the third amendment to the Treaty of Peace in its 40-year history. His strategic leadership and diplomatic acumen brought great credit to New Zealand and the NZDF. “That’s my job; managing strategic relationships,” Major General Williams said. “I stay focused on that and rely on some bright and capable staff officers to do the detail stuff. That’s where you earn your money as a two-star general, not by planning vehicle patrol routes in the desert.”
Major General Williams said the MFO – a world-class peacekeeping operation - was working with two very proud peoples from two culturally different countries in a complex environment, and sometimes there was tension. “People who come here get their eyes opened hugely when they see how complex the Middle East is. It’s a great professional experience.”
Tragically, Major General Williams’ wife Kristin died of cancer at the end of 2021. The citation says she played an exceptional role as part of the MFO leadership team, and was an empathetic and generous host who always provided steadfast support. Despite this loss, Major General Williams remained in command and accepted the role extension to ensure important initiatives were completed. “She always said she wanted me to go back and finish this,” he said. “It’s a great way to finish a career.”Distinguished Service Decoration (DSD) - Lieutenant Commander Louis James Munden-Hooper, for services to the New Zealand Defence Force
Engineer recognised for helping bring NZ Navy's largest ship into operation
The marine engineer who oversaw the construction, trials and first operations of the largest vessel to enter the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) – HMNZS Aotearoa - has been awarded the New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration (DSD) for his efforts.
Lieutenant Commander Louis Munden-Hooper was a pivotal figure in the development, delivery and integration of the polar-class sustainment vessel, starting with its construction in South Korea. He showed great leadership and dedication throughout the project and was vital to the successes of the ship in its first years of service, according to his citation.
HMNZS Aotearoa was specially built for the RNZN, and at 173 metres long and displacing 26,000 tonnes, is the Navy’s largest ever ship. HMNZS Aotearoa was commissioned in 2020 and has since deployed twice to the Indo-Pacific region, including the humanitarian relief mission to Tonga in January 2022 following a volcanic eruption and tsunami. The ship then completed her first resupply voyage to Antarctica and took part in the United States-led exercise RIMPAC 2022. It has delivered strategic success for the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), New Zealand Government and the people of New Zealand.
Lieutenant Commander Munden-Hooper joined the New Zealand-based project team in August 2018 as a logistics manager, then posted to South Korea as the commissioning engineering officer. He was involved throughout the construction, trials, acceptance and capability integration of the ship, as well as dealing with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the programme. Lieutenant Commander Munden-Hooper, who has since posted off HMNZS Aotearoa, was key to the success of HMNZS Aotearoa’s first 18 months of service. He said he was extremely surprised to receive the DSD award, and never thought he would be the commissioning engineering officer when he was initially trying to get on the project team. “I was very keen to be part of the project,” he said.
“I went to Korea in 2018 to scope out elements of my role and was there full-time from April 2019 until we brought the ship to New Zealand. “It was definitely interesting times with Covid-19. When we brought the ship over in June 2020 we had to do 14 days’ quarantine at sea, and when we arrived we had to sit and wait outside the harbour for the time to count down.” He said his time in South Korea was extremely rewarding. “It was a huge project and even on a slow day in the shipyard there could be hundreds of people working on the ship. Work was going at an extreme pace and you had to work hard to keep track and make sure everything was happening as we expected.”
Once the ship was in New Zealand, there was the work towards achieving interim operational release of its capabilities. “We had the Tonga mission and it was really rewarding to see the team pivot to change their focus and deliver for that. “Then Antarctica, RIMPAC and a maintenance period in Singapore. I posted off Aotearoa in September 2022.”
Lieutenant Commander Munden-Hooper grew up in Blenheim, attended high school in Nelson and moved to Auckland to study for his engineering degree. He joined the RNZN in 2009 under a scholarship scheme. He cut his teeth on large ships, including logistics ship HMNZS Canterbury, tanker HMNZS Endeavour and a stint with the Royal Navy’s now-decommissioned aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. Large ships, especially older ones, needed a work-hard ethic to keep them going, he said.
“If I’m honest, there were days in Korea when I thought, ‘how long is it going to be until I get to the bottom of this pile of work?’ But it was a great time being in Korea, building a ship and being part of the team to serve as the commissioning crew. It was hard work, but an exceptional experience.” Distinguished Service Decoration (DSD) - Lieutenant Commander Makoare Kohupara Te Kani, MNZM, for services to the New Zealand Defence Force
Transformational work in Rarotonga earns Gisborne-born Navy Commander second honour
When Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) Lieutenant Commander Makoare (Mark) Kohupara Te Kani posted to the Cook Islands in January 2020 as a Maritime Surveillance Adviser, he expected to travel. Weeks into posting, lockdowns isolated Rarotonga from the world. “The whole world closed down,” Lieutenant Commander Te Kani said. “But I must say, if you are locked down, Rarotonga is the place to be. They didn’t have Covid-19.”
With no means of travel, he poured his time, resources and years of experience with the RNZN into enhancing the Cook Islands Police’s maritime capability, as well as numerous other projects on the ground. That work has seen him awarded the Distinguished Service Decoration in the New Year Honours list.
Lieutenant Commander Te Kani showed great leadership and dedication throughout his posting, according to his citation. “He has been an inspiration to the local populace, enhancing the reputation of New Zealand as a strong Pacific partner who unreservedly support the people of the Cook Islands.” His brief was to lead the Cook Islands Police maritime security capability in their replacement of their aging Pacific-class patrol boat Te Kukupa, to a more modern equivalent donated by the Australian Government.
The new vessel is used to provide maritime security to the 15 islands and two million square kilometres of ocean that make up the sovereign territory, and is one of 22 built and gifted to Pacific nations by Australia. On realising there weren’t enough sailors to crew the new patrol boat, Lieutenant Commander Te Kani oversaw a recruitment drive which nearly doubled the number of maritime police staff from 13 to 25. He’s especially proud of those training programmes as well as the hard work put in by the local maritime police. “We decommissioned the old Te Kukupa, then the crew flew to Perth for three months of transition training. There have been 14 patrol boats handed to the Pacific, and our crew were reported as the most efficient crew that has ever gone through the handover of a vessel.”
In addition to the patrol boat replacement, Lieutenant Commander Te Kani also led a significant project to upgrade the Cook Islands Police Maritime Surveillance Centre to ensure there was a fit-for-purpose support facility. These were multi-million dollar projects and the largest ever completed in the Cook Islands under the New Zealand and Australian Defence Cooperation Programme.
Lieutenant Commander Te Kani also provided support to both the New Zealand and Australian High Commissions and Cook Islands ministries and agencies, observed emergency exercises, contributed to emergency management planning and served on local committees including the Cook Islands RSA. He also found the time to coach the premier, U19 and junior grade teams of the Arorangi Bears Rugby and Rugby League Club. He said it had definitely been one of his more memorable postings since he joined the RNZN in 1973. “It’s just the ability to make a meaningful and significant contribution, that’s important to me. I feel like I made a worthwhile contribution to the Cook Islands, providing as much help as I could, and I’d do it again given the opportunity.”
This DSD is the second national honour Lieutenant Commander Te Kani has received. He was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 1998 for his role as chair of Te Runanga o Te Iwi Heramana, which oversaw the introduction and development of Tikanga Māori within the RNZN and the later construction of the RNZN Marae, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa Marae.
Born in Gisborne, Lieutenant Commander Te Kani is of Ngati Porou, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga a Mahaki and Te Whakatōhea descent. He also traces his whakapapa to Mauke in the Cook Islands through Kautia o te Rangi (Paikea). He said it was hard for his family to say goodbye to the Cook Islands, when his posting ended in January 2023. “But we’re here in Rarotonga now for Christmas and New Year, which means we heard the announcement of the award here, which is fitting for us.”
