But, as luck had it, the incident which led to him becoming the medal recipient involved him right from the start.
On August 19, 2017, a vehicle towing a trailer left the road and went through a barrier into the Waikato River near Cambridge.
Quate, who was off-duty at the time, was in the Waikato to be with his wife, whose mother had died from cancer.
Arriving at the scene, he saw bystanders on the bridge and bank looking into the river.
He saw a man struggling in the river and calling for help, and then a body of a woman floating to the surface.
Quate clambered down the steep bank to the river, where the current pushed him towards the two people.
"The water was over my head really quickly."
By holding on to a branch in the water, he assisted the man in holding the woman's head above water.
However, because of the swift current, they were unable to get the woman to the riverbank.
Quate was able to secure the woman with ropes provided by members of the public, who then pulled them to the riverbank.
"It took about 10 minutes for help to arrive."
They managed to lift the woman part-way up the steep bank, where he gave CPR.
They then moved her to more stable ground, where paramedics took over.
The woman was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
She did not survive the accident.
Quate received the medal for entering a deep and fast-flowing river to rescue two people without regard to his own safety, with his timely actions ensuring one person was successfully rescued and the second was given the chance to receive medical care.
"Receiving the award was really humbling. I was at the right place at the right time. It was fortunate timing the way it transpired and I just got on with it."
The second silver medal recipient, Jason Rewita, was deemed "selfless in taking immediate action in his attempt to save a child's life, with no regard for his own safety".
The incident which led to the medal occurred on October 2, 2017, when Rewita was working with colleagues on Heretaunga St West, Hastings when he noticed thick smoke.
An unoccupied building was on fire and Rewita could hear a child screaming from inside.
The entrance was blocked by a large barred gate.
He and his colleague were able to bend the bars of the gate sufficiently to allow him to crawl through.
Rewita found a young boy running around with his whole body on fire.
The 10-year-old boy was taken to hospital, but he later died due to significant burns on his body. Rewita received hospital treatment for smoke inhalation.
The third silver medal recipient was Cameron McCallum.
The incident which led to his award occurred in the early evening of January 16, 2018, when a husband and wife got caught in a flash rip at Waimarama Beach.
McCallum rushed into the water and held the couple and kept them afloat.
Two men grabbed a surfboard and paddleboard while a third went to raise the alarm.
The couple were brought back to the beach, where CPR was administered to the husband, but unfortunately he died at the scene.
McCallum was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital.
He received the medal for putting his life at great risk during this rescue.
