From war zones to emergency responses: a life of service

Ltd Col John Dyer (Rtd)'s military career has helped shape what is most important to him - working with people to enable them to be the best that they can be.

He has led teams in many different communities around the world, and leadership and service are core to his new role as National President for New Zealand Red Cross.

John began his career in the New Zealand Army, serving for over 20 years in training, management, and command roles. His service took him to Sierra Leone in 1998-99 as a United Nations military observer during a time of significant conflict. He was awarded the New Zealand Gallantry Decoration.

After leaving the military, he was appointed CEO of the NZ Academy of Sport - Central Region responsible for establishing an organisation to provide support to New Zealand's elite athletes.

At the same time he joined the New Zealand Red Cross Central Region Board, which was to mark the beginning of what has become a 24-year journey with the organisation.

That decision led to a remarkable career with Red Cross, including a decade-long tenure with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Geneva. He worked in operations safety and security, training delegates, and developing security frameworks for global humanitarian operations.

This role included a mission in Aceh, Indonesia, following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, numerous missions to other global disaster areas and in 2022, a mission to support the IFRC response to the Ukraine conflict.

John's drew on the skills he had been trained on in the military for these roles.

"I think the key skills are being able to analyse, develop plans, and make decisions. I would like to think that I also developed the ability to lead - but only the people who have worked for and with me would be able to decide whether this is true."

John describes the "non-for-profit" and "for purpose" sectors as another form of service to communities.

"In many ways I have continued to do what I enjoyed doing in the military. Since the military I have worked for "for Purpose" organisations so really I am still working in a service. At Red Cross, our demands are increasing globally as a result of conflicts, crises and climate events. We remain committed to serving people in times of need," he said.