Joe Mataele from Tonga has been named both Sailor of the Year and New Zealand Defence Force Person of the Year Photo: NZDF
Being named both Sailor of the Year and New Zealand Defence Force Person of the Year is no easy feat.
Dedication, integrity and recognition from a group of board members determines the selection, with recipients typically chosen from a competitive pool of candidates.
Leading Marine Technician (Electrical) Joe Mataele from Tonga has achieved both.
Leading Marine Technician (Electrical) Joe Mataele, from Tonga, has been named the New Zealand Defence Force’s Person of the Year. He received his award from Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Tony Davies. Photo: NZDF
While the accolades were a clear mark of his success, Mataele was quick to share the recognition, attributing his success to both his family and the teams that he worked with across the NZDF.
"These awards aren't just for me," he said. "The entire unit is so high-performing that someone needs to get recognised. So they chose me, but there's so many people who could have been chosen."
For someone who has dedicated nearly a decade to the NZDF, receiving the honour was not just a personal achievement, Mataele said, but an emotional milestone shared with family and colleagues.
Mataele admitted that it was difficult to be away from his partner and young child, for example, so his success was shared with those who have aided his journey.
"If I could have everyone who's been with me through all of this up on stage to receive the award, I would," he said. "It's a whole journey, and they've all been part of it."
Childhood and setbacks
Mataele credited his success to his upbringing in Tonga, where he developed a strong work ethic.
"I pretty much had to grow up fast," he said. "My Mum lived in the States, my Dad was always away visiting her. My siblings and I had to learn how to do things on our own, and it instilled a strong work ethic in our whole family."
Mataele spent some time in New Zealand when he was younger, and was back in Tonga until the age of 19, before moving back to New Zealand and eventually finding his way to the New Zealand Defence Force.
However, the move was not without its setbacks.
He had initially gained a degree in political science, which he said "opened up his mind to think more broadly" and "matured him".
Joining the navy had been a childhood dream.
"I applied at 19 and began at 23 due to security clearance issues," he said. "Despite being born in New Zealand, I hadn't lived here consistently for five years, and then I broke my leg. During that time, I went away to study, and then later returned.
"[Joining the NZDF] was a clean slate - no one cares where you're from or what you have. Everyone starts equal, works hard and, maybe one day, gets recognised."
Home away for home
Mataele said the NZDF attracted a diverse range of people from all walks of life.
"You've got different people who join for different reasons," he said. "They enjoy the travel, they want to put their family name on the map, they just really want to serve, or have just left school and don't know what to do."
Mataele said he had all the right reasons to join.
He wanted to serve, he wanted to make his family proud and, as he joked, "really needed money".
"I'm in the training space now as an instructor, and you get to live your past through these people," he said. "They, too, join for different reasons, and they come in and start to click. They train harder. It's quite rewarding when you see everyone on their graduation day."
Mataele believed that positive reinforcement made all the difference when it came to interacting with trainees.
The ages of new recruits ranged from fresh youngsters to the more experienced 30- to 40-year-olds, and how he interacted with them was how they were going to respond to his demands.
"There's different times when you are going to need to heighten yourself, right?" he said. "I'm not really the person who wants to scream at people, swear at them. You don't have to scream. You need to have different tones for different situations.
"I don't want robots who sit there and say nothing. You need to respect these people. Yes, they are new recruits but, at the end of the day, they are also people."
Mataele said it was ultimately rewarding to see how recruits progressed.
"Some come in and their values don't align, they're always messing up or getting into trouble," he said. "But you coach them, help them, you end up loving them and they somehow receive a prize. Everyone is worthy."
Looking ahead
Looking ahead, Mataele said his goals were to simply "keep climbing the rank, and keep doing what I'm doing".
He was content with his mahi, and felt his experiences had given him "so much".
"The key things I have learnt are self-discipline, resilience and self awareness," he said. "For anybody thinking of joining - take a shot. ... You may find it hard, or easy, but it is a rewarding career with so many skills and behavioural lessons that you will use your whole life."
