Matane was born on 21 September 1931 in Viviran village, Vunadidir-Toma Rural LLG, East New Britain Province.[5][6] He was a Tolai, a native speaker of Kuanua, and a staunch United Churchman. He wrote 44 books which deliberately use extremely simple English, focusing in part on his own overseas travels, including three on the State of Israel. His writing is intended to persuade Papua New Guineans that books are a useful source of information and that they should not regard them as something only for foreigners.[citation needed]
For many years Matane wrote a column in the Malaysian Chinese-owned newspaper The National, containing advice for the younger generation. He also founded the United News Agency of Melanesia.[citation needed] He, together with Grand Chief the Right Honourable Michael Somare, made a point of wearing a lap-lap (skirt) rather than trousers.[citation needed]
He was married to Lady Kaludia Matane who served her country with "great distinction" and died on 20 December 2016.[7]
Matane attended Toma Village Higher (later Tauran Primary) School and then Keravat High School. Beginning in 1956 he studied at Sogeri Teachers' College and from 1963 he attended Port Moresby Teachers' College and Mendi for Inspector’s Theoretical and Practical Training.[citation needed] At the end of his training he worked as an inspector of schools.[8]
Ambassador to the United States and United Nations
In the mid-1980s he was Secretary of Papua New Guinea's Foreign Affairs Department[11] and led delegations to Australia to discuss that country's foreign aid to PNG and negotiated with Indonesia regarding border incursions and refugee problems.
Matane was elected Governor-GeneralbyParliament on 27 May 2004, receiving 50 votes, while his opponent, Sir Pato Kakaraya received 46 votes. Attempts to elect a Governor-General had failed repeatedly for six months before Matane's election because of constitutional flaws in the nomination process. Following Matane's election, Kakaraya brought a petition to the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea, seeking to invalidate the election.[12]
Matane was sworn in on 29 June 2004, although the legal challenge to his election was still ongoing.[13] He was officially invested as Governor-General by Queen Elizabeth II on 13 October 2004.[14] He was reappointed for a second term in June 2010, under what The National called "very controversial circumstances [...], in an act likely to be challenged in court". Specifically, The National reported that there was "conflicting advice from the speaker and the prime minister" regarding the proper procedure for the appointment, and that the government had Matane reappointed by "using section 87(5) of the Constitution, arguing that the absolute majority secured for Sir Paulias meant that the exhaustive secret ballot vote was not required".[15] The Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea ruled Matane's reelection unconstitutional in December 2010.[16]
