Major Charmaine Tate, DSD for services to the New Zealand Defence Force
Major Charmaine Tate was first operationally deployed as a Medical Officer to East Timor in 2002 and was the Regimental Medical Officer for 1NZSAS Regiment from 2004 until 2013.
As Regimental Medical officer she was deployed on several occasions to Afghanistan, was a member of the New Zealand medical team in Sumatra following the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami and has also been involved with New Zealand Search and Rescue. Following the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake she commanded Urban Search and Rescue medical teams and later that same year was sent to assist in Japan following the major earthquake and tsunami in March. She has been dedicated to supporting Defence Force personnel and their families, especially those in the Special Forces community suffering from deployment related illnesses and often long after they have left military service. Much of her medical development and training has been completed outside the Defence Force and at a personal cost and she has undertaken professional military training and education not usually associated with specialist officers in order to provide a military context for her professional medical duties. Major Tate has gone beyond the normal requirements and expectations of the New Zealand Defence Force in performance of her medical duties.