Gerald Hensley
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Gerald Christopher Philip Hensley
Biography
Born in Christchurch, Hensley was educated at St Bede's College, Christchurch and Canterbury University College where he took an MA with first-class honours in history.[1]
Hensley joined the Department of External Affairs (now the
In 1980 he returned to Wellington to become Head of the Prime Minister's Department, where he served under both
From 1987 to 1989 he was Co-ordinator of Domestic and External Security. He was then invited to become a Fellow at the Centre for International Affairs at Harvard University. While there he lectured on events in New Zealand's recent history.
In 1991 he became Secretary of Defence and served in that role until September 1999 when he retired. In the
From 2001 until 2007 he was president of the Asthma Foundation, and since 2011 has been co-chair of the Centenary History Programme commemorating the First World War.
Hensley published numerous articles on Asian and Pacific Affairs, including "Palm and Pine" a history of New Zealand's relations with Singapore, in "New Zealand and South East Asia"; and "A Crisis of Expectations – UN Peacekeeping in the 1990s: A Participants Point of View", edited by Ramesh Thakur and Carlyle A. Thayer.
A memoir about his time in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister's Department. "Final Approaches" was published by the Auckland University Press in 2006. Three years later his book "Beyond the Battlefield" on New Zealand and its allies in World War II was published by Penguin and was a finalist in the 2010 New Zealand Post Book Awards.
In May 2013, "Friendly Fire: Nuclear Politics and the Collapse of ANZUS, 1984–1987", was published by the Auckland University Press. "Friendly Fire" examines how New Zealand's
Hensley was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Literature by Massey University in May 2015.
In retirement, Hensley lived on a vineyard in Martinborough, New Zealand. His wife Juliet died in May 2013. Gerald Hensley died in Martinborough on 10 February 2024, at the age of 88.[3][4]
Select bibliography
- "The History of Canterbury Vol II" Edited by James Hight and C Straubel (1971, Whitcombe & Tombes)
- Hensley, Gerald (2006). Final Approaches: A Memoir. Auckland: Auckland University Press. ISBN 1-86940-378-9.
- Hensley, Gerald (2009). Beyond the Battlefield: New Zealand and its Allies 1939-45. North Shore, Auckland: Viking/Penguin. ISBN 978-06-700-7404-4.
- Beyond the Battlefield: New Zealand and its allies 1939-45 by Gerald Hensley (2009, Viking, Auckland) ISBN 978-0-670-07404-4
- "Friendly Fire: Nuclear Politics and the Collapse of ANZUS, 1984-1987, by Gerald Hensley (2013, Auckland University Press, NZ) ISBN 978-1-86940-741-4
References
- hdl:10092/9954.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 1999 (including Niue)". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC). Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 7 June 1999. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ Jacobson, Julie (13 February 2024). "Former diplomat, senior public servant Gerald Hensley dies". The Post. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Gerald Hensley obituary". The New Zealand Herald. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
External links
- "Friendly Fire (sample)". Wellington City Library.
- Hensley, Gerald. "Recollections Archive". Kahu Despatches. Retrieved 16 March 2024.