David Proctor (admiral)
Rear Admiral David Colin Proctor is a retired officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy. He served as Chief of Navy from 2018 to 2024.
Early life
Born in Napier in, Proctor grew up in the suburb of Maraenui. He was educated at Colenso High School, where he was head boy in 1986. Of Māori descent, Proctor affiliates to Ngāti Korokī Kahukura.Career
After leaving school, Proctor joined the Royal New Zealand Navy in January 1987 as a midshipman. Deployments to the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste followed. He spent most of his naval career in logistics roles.Proctor succeeded John Martin as Chief of Navy on 29 November 2018. 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. 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.
Proctor retired as Chief of Navy on 16 May 2024, and became the deputy executive director at the Australian Civil Military Centre in Canberra.