Steve Pyatt

Steve Pyatt is both a New Zealand and UK citizen who has been with NZDF since April 1997. He is a former member of British Military Survey. 

Steve graduated from Portsmouth Polytechnic with an honours degree in Geographical Science and was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers in 1979. After mainstream tours in UK (including Northern Ireland), Germany, Cyprus and Canada he attended the Army Survey Course in 1987/8. On promotion to Major in 1990, he commanded the Air Survey Liaison Section at RAF Wyton and then 19 Topographic Squadron. During his time with Military Survey he undertook GPS and conventional survey operations in Oman and the Falkland Islands. His final job in Military Survey was as Chief of Staff 42 Survey Engineer Group during the transition from base plant activity to the mobile role. On immigrating to New Zealand he worked as General Manager in a commercial engineering company in Taupo for a year until joining the civil staff of NZDF. His appointment was within the Intelligence and Strategic Plans Branch of HQ NZDF but it then merged with the Navy Hydrographic Branch in the formation of the Joint Geospatial Support Facility, which became GIO and is now GNZ. His main responsibilities include managing GEOINT governance and issues for the NZDF and other NZ Government agencies, setting GEOINT strategic direction, policy and standards, future projects and international GEOINT relationships. In short, he manages the longer-term ‘what and why’ aspects of GEOINT in NZ but occasionally still dabbles in the current ‘how’ things are done. 

Steve was awarded the Chief of Defence Force’s Commendation in 2001 for his leading role in the determination of a new mapping projection and grid system for New Zealand.