SSC Media Release
Sir Patrick O’Dea
31 August 2010

The State Services Commissioner, Iain Rennie, today expressed his condolences to the family of the late Sir Patrick O'Dea.

“Sir Patrick was Secretary of the Department of Internal Affairs from 1967 to 1978. He held a range of positions in the Department of Internal Affairs prior to becoming Secretary in 1967. He served three governments and several Ministers. He was much admired by staff, fellow senior public servants and the Ministers he served.

“Sir Patrick left a lasting impact on the New Zealand public sector. In 1973, during his tenure as Secretary of Internal Affairs, the Local Government Bill was introduced, later becoming the Local Government Act (1974). The Act represented a significant change in the way local government was organised and structured.

“And in 1975 the Internal Affairs Minister of the time, the Hon Henry May, steered through the Fire Services Bill and established a national fire service for the first time, replacing nearly 300 individual fire districts. The Bill also established the Fire Service Commission.

“Sir Patrick made a lasting contribution to New Zealand government and society. A previous Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon Allan Highet, once described Sir Patrick as the complete, apolitical, professional public servant. This is a comment that I would strongly endorse,” Iain Rennie said.

ENDS

© Scoop Media