Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Louis Joseph Gardiner, (4 August 1952 – 18 July 2015) was a New Zealand military officer. He served as
Chief of Army from 2006 to 2009, and later was the chief executive of Crimestoppers New Zealand.
Early life and family
Born in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
in 1952,
Gardiner was the son of Shirley and Dan Gardiner. He received his secondary education at
St Patrick's College, Wellington
St Patrick's College is a Roman Catholic boys' secondary school in New Zealand.
History
Founded by Archbishop Francis Redwood SM, St Patrick's opened on 1 June 1885 with nine day-boys and twelve boarders.
The College represents one of the e ...
.
Military career
After enlisting in the
New Zealand Army
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in 1971, Gardiner attended the
Royal Military College, Duntroon
lit: Learning promotes strength
, established =
, type = Military college
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, head_label = Commandant
, head = Brigadier Ana Duncan
, principal =
, city = Campbell
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in Canberra, graduating as a Bachelor of Arts in 1975, having majored in economics and geography. He then entered the
Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (RNZAOC) concerned itself with the provisioning of troops with the means to fight; specifically uniforms, weapons and equipment. Ordnance functions go back hundreds of years; the first Ordnance Officer i ...
, and later served in the Army Office, Canberra. In December 1990 he was appointed commanding officer of the 1st Base Supply Battalion, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was posted to the
United Nations Operations in Somalia
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
, Headquarters of the Peacekeeping Force, as deputy chief logistical officer in 1994, and the following year he returned to New Zealand and was promoted to colonel, assuming the position of Chief of Staff, Support Command. After completing a degree in human resource management, and attending the
Australian College of Defence and Strategic Studies
The Australian Defence College (ADC) comprises three joint education and training organisations operated by the Australian Defence Force in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory:
* the War College,
* the Australian Defence Force Training Ce ...
in Canberra, Gardiner was appointed director of resource policy and plans at the New Zealand Defence Force headquarters in late 1997. He was promoted to brigadier in December 1998 and appointed deputy Chief of Staff, but was appointed Land Commander a week later. He was reappointed deputy Chief of Staff in December 1999 and the following July he received a 12-month posting as chief military observer with the
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), ( pt, Administração Transitória das Nações Unidas em Timor Leste), was a United Nations mission in East Timor that aimed to solve the decades long East Timorese cri ...
. He was appointed Head New Zealand Defence Staff, Canberra, in 2001.
In the
2004 New Year Honours Gardiner was appointed an additional
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...
in recognition of his military operational service.
Gardiner was promoted to the rank of major general and appointed
Commander Joint Forces New Zealand
The Commander Joint Forces New Zealand (COMJFNZ) is a senior appointment in the New Zealand Defence Force, responsible for the command of Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand. The COMJFNZ is, in effect, the operational commander of all joint opera ...
in late 2004. He served as
Chief of Army from May 2006 to May 2009.
Later life
Following his retirement from the New Zealand Defence Force, Gardiner was the chief executive of Crimestoppers New Zealand.
In 2014 he was appointed director of leadership at
Scots College in Wellington. He died of cancer on 18 July 2015, and was buried at Akatarawa Cemetery.
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, Lou
1952 births
2015 deaths
Military personnel from Wellington City
Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates
New Zealand generals
Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Deaths from cancer in New Zealand
Burials at Akatarawa Cemetery
People educated at St. Patrick's College, Wellington