Simon Peter Wallace Murdoch (born 1948) is a New Zealand diplomat and public servant. He was New Zealand's Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was previously New Zealand High Commissioner to Canberra, and Chief Executive of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Early life and education

Murdoch attended University of Canterbury, where he gained a first class master's degree with honours in history.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Murdoch joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1972. He had an early posting to Canberra, before joining the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 1980 as foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister

Rob Muldoon Sir Robert David Muldoon (; 25 September 19215 August 1992) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand, from 1975 to 1984, while leader of the National Party. Serving as a corporal and sergeant in t ...

. In 1983, Murdoch was assistant head of the Asian division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later that year, he was posted to

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

as political counsellor, and the New Zealand intelligence liaison officer to the United States. In 1987, Murdoch returned to New Zealand and became head of the Australia Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1989, Murdoch was seconded to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to be head of the Policy Advisory Group. In 1991, State Services Commissioner

Don Hunn Donald Kent Hunn (born Wellington 26 December 1934) is a senior New Zealand diplomat and civil servant. Hunn is the son of Sir Jack Hunn, a former Secretary of Defence, Maori Affairs, and Justice. Education Hunn attended Wellington College ...

appointed Murdoch to the post of Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Murdoch was head of the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Prime Ministers

Jim Bolger James Brendan Bolger ( ; born 31 May 1935) is a New Zealand retired politician of the National Party who was the 35th prime minister of New Zealand, serving from 1990 to 1997. Bolger was born to an Irish immigrant family in Ōpunake, Taran ...

and

Jenny Shipley Dame Jennifer Mary Shipley (née Robson; born 4 February 1952) is a New Zealand former politician who served as the 36th prime minister of New Zealand from 1997 to 1999. She was the first female prime minister of New Zealand, and the first woma ...

. He left the post in 1998, to become visiting professor of Public Policy and Management at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well kno ...

for a year. In 1999, Murdoch was appointed New Zealand High Commissioner to Australia. At the time, the posting was seen to be grooming Murdoch for the role of Secretary of Foreign Affairs. In 2002, Murdoch succeeded Neil Walter as New Zealand's Secretary of Foreign Affairs. He retired from that position in 2009. In the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours, Murdoch was appointed a

Companion 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 ren ...

, for public services, lately as Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

GCSB

In 2010 he conducted a review of

New Zealand intelligence agencies New Zealand's intelligence agencies and units have existed, with some interruption, since World War II. At present, New Zealand's intelligence community has approximately 550 employees, and has a combined budget of around NZ$145 million. Accordi ...

, and for a period before and after the appointment of Lt Gen Sir

Jerry Mateparae Lieutenant General Sir Jeremiah Mateparae (born 14 November 1954) is a former New Zealand soldier who served as the 20th Governor-General of New Zealand between 2011 and 2016, the second Māori person to hold the office, after Sir Paul Reeves ...

, he was acting chief executive and director of the

GCSB The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) ( mi, Te Tira Tiaki) is the public-service department of New Zealand charged with promoting New Zealand's national security by collecting and analysing information of an intelligence nature. ...

. During his second stint in the position he presided over the illegal surveillance of

Kim Dotcom Kim Dotcom (born Kim Schmitz; 21 January 1974), also known as Kimble and Kim Tim Jim Vestor, is a German-Finnish Internet entrepreneur and political activist who resides in Glenorchy, New Zealand. He first rose to fame in Germany in the 1990s ...

, but left weeks before the raid was carried out on 20 January 2013.'Dotcom saga rebounds on Key Government "
1 October 2012, ANDREA VANCE, stuff.co.nz

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murdoch, Simon 1948 births Living people High Commissioners of New Zealand to Australia New Zealand public servants Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand diplomats