David Proctor (admiral)

Rear Admiral David Colin Proctor ONZM (born 1968 or 1969) is a retired officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy. He served as Chief of Navy from 2018 to 2024.

David Proctor
Proctor in 2019
Birth name	David Colin Proctor
Born	1968 or 1969 (age 56–57) Napier, New Zealand
Allegiance	New Zealand
Branch	Royal New Zealand Navy
Years of service	1987–2024
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands	Chief of Navy (2018–2024)
Battles / wars	United Nations Mission of Support to East Timor
Awards	Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Early life

Born in Napier in 1968 or 1969, Proctor grew up in the suburb of Maraenui.^[1][2] He was educated at Colenso High School, where he was head boy in 1986.^[1] Of Māori descent, Proctor affiliates to Ngāti Korokī Kahukura.^[2]

Career

After leaving school, Proctor joined the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) in January 1987 as a midshipman.^[1] Deployments to the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste followed.^[2] He spent most of his naval career in logistics roles.^[3]

Proctor succeeded John Martin as Chief of Navy on 29 November 2018.^[3] He was the first person with a logistics background to hold this position; all previous heads of the RNZN were from a warfare officer background.^[3] Proctor's tenure as Chief of Navy included the delivery of two new ships to the RNZN, the eruption of Whakaari / White Island in 2019 and the response to Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023.^[2]

Proctor retired as Chief of Navy on 16 May 2024, and became the deputy executive director at the Australian Civil Military Centre in Canberra.^[1]

Honours and awards

Proctor (left), after his investiture as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit by the governor-general, Dame Cindy Kiro, at Government House, Wellington, on 30 April 2025

In the 2025 New Year Honours, Proctor was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the New Zealand Defence Force.^[4]