Matthew is a broadly experienced General Surgeon, and passionate about quality, training, and assessment. He has been an on-call surgeon at Middlemore Hospital for over 20 years, and has recently finished a four-year role as Chief Medical Officer for Southern Cross Healthcare, as well as a nine-year stint as Examiner in General Surgery (including NZ Chief Examiner) for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Health and Wellbeing
LTCOL Steve Kearney currently serves as NZDF Chief Mental Health Officer (CMHO)
LTCOL Kearney joined the NZDF in 2000, and has served in a diverse range of roles including direct support to units and service members, training, support to operations and command positions. He has deployed operationally throughout his career, including to Timor Leste, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. He has participated in a number of international research working groups, including the Five Eyes Technical Co-Operation Programme, and was part of award winning projects on individual resilience and training for high risk occupations. LTCOL Kearney is a Clinical Psychologist, a chartered Organisational Psychologist, and a graduate of the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College. After leaving the regular force in 2015, he worked in both the public and private sector. In 2020 he re-enlisted into the regular force. LTCOL Kearney is eager to make a contribution to the Mental Health of kiwis, and is particularly passionate about;
Early identification and support for mental health
The relationship between work and mental health
How mental health might be different in a military context
How peers, whānau and mates might be better equipped to support one another’s mental health
