Gerald Hensley

Who is Gerald Hensley?

Gerald Hensley CNZM, is a former New Zealand diplomat and public servant.

He was educated at St Bede's College, Christchurch and Canterbury University where he took an MA with first class honours in History.

He joined the Department of External Affairs in 1958 and served in Samoa, at the New Zealand Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, and in 1965 was appointed Special Assistant to the Commonwealth Secretary-General when the Commonwealth Secretariat was established in London. He then served as Counsellor at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington. While in Washington, in April 1973, the Black September group painted slogans on the wall of his house and fired several shots through the windows. This was thought to have been the first Islamist-based terrorist attack in the United States. From 1976 until 1980 he was New Zealand’s High Commissioner in Singapore. He recalled one incident of diplomatic immunity involving the Burmese Ambassador to Sri Lanka where he was also accredited and was Vice-Dean of the diplomats.