Background
Parr was born in Wellington, New Zealand.
Parr was born in Wellington, New Zealand.
He was raised in Fiji and attended New Plymouth Boys" High School as a boarder.
He was succeeded by Rear Admiral Jack Steer. He graduated from the University of Waikato in 1977 with a Bachelor of Social Science in politics and after completing the first year of a Bachelor of Law degree in 1979, he joined the Royal New Zealand Navy in January 1980 in the rank of sub lieutenant. During his naval career, Parr served aboard the ships HMNZS Taranaki, HMNZS Canterbury and HMNZS Wellington.
He also served as the commanding officer of HMNZS Pukaki, HMNZS Waikato and HMNZS Te Mana.
Since leaving Te Mana, Parr served at Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand, holding a number of senior positions in the RNZN.
