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
The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...
, 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 many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
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.
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 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 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 and
Jenny Shipley. He left the post in 1998, to become visiting professor of Public Policy and Management at
Victoria University of Wellington 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
Neil Douglas Walter (born 1942) is a New Zealand diplomat, and a former Administrator of Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand. He served from February 1988 until 1990, and again from 1 March 2003 to 17 October 2006.
Biography
In his early care ...
as New Zealand's Secretary of Foreign Affairs. He retired from that position in 2009. In the
2009 Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours 2009 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as pa ...
, Murdoch was appointed a
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for public services, lately as Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
GCSB
In 2010 he conducted a review of
New Zealand intelligence agencies, and for a period before and after the appointment of Lt Gen Sir
Jerry Mateparae, he was acting chief executive and director of the
GCSB. During his second stint in the position he presided over the illegal surveillance of
Kim Dotcom, 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