Biography
Personal
Four brothers in Africa
Matthew Raymond was born in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) in 1951, the fourth son of missionary teachers. He completed his primary education at Sakeji School in Zambia and his secondary education at Freyberg High School in Palmerston North, New Zealand. He studied piano and composition at the University of Canterbury and graduated Bachelor of Music in 1972. He then trained as a secondary music teacher at the Christchurch Teachers College, where he majored in Music Education and Drama–English.
In 1973 Matthew married Alison Turner, a primary teacher from Auckland. The Raymonds had three children, who are now all married, and they have four grandchildren. Matthew and Alison live in Zambia, and have a home in Mt Eden, Auckland.