Neil Douglas Walter (born 1942) is a New Zealand diplomat, and a former Administrator of

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, a ...

, a territory of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. He served from February 1988 until 1990, and again from 1 March 2003 to 17 October 2006.

Biography

In his early career in the Foreign Service, Walter served in Thailand, New York, and Samoa. In 1981, Walter was posted to New Zealand's Embassy in Paris, where he was the New Zealand Permanent Representative to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. In 1985, Walter became New Zealand's deputy High Commissioner to London. Walter was New Zealand's Ambassador to Indonesia from 1990–1994, and served as New Zealand's Ambassador to Japan from 1997–1999. In 1999, Walter became Secretary of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, until his retirement from the diplomatic service in 2002. He was one of three people to address the

United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization The United Nations Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, or the Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24), is a committee of ...

, 10th Meeting, June 23, 2003. Walter was the Chairman of the Environmental Risk Management Authority until 2008 and the chair of

NZ On Air NZ On Air (NZOA; mi, Irirangi te Motu), formally the Broadcasting Commission, is an autonomous Crown entity and commission of the New Zealand Government responsible for funding support for broadcasting and creative works. The commission oper ...

until 2012. He also undertakes various reviews and assessments for the NZ Government. His 2009 report on the State Services Commission's ambitious and ill-fated GSN information technology project led to the resignation of the Deputy

State Services Commission The Public Service Commission (PSC; Māori: ''Te Kawa Mataaho''), called the State Services Commission until 2020, is the central public service department of New Zealand charged with overseeing, managing, and improving the performance of the ...

er and Government CIO Laurence Millar.

Honours

In the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, Walter was appointed a

Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...

, for services as Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Personal life

He is married and has one son and two daughters. His son, Stephen Walter, is a lead negotiator on climate change for the New Zealand Ministry of Environment. His brother David Walter of Stratford is a former Chairman of the

Taranaki Regional Council Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...

and mayor of the

Stratford District Council Stratford District Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera ā-Rohe o Whakaahurangi) is the territorial authority for the Stratford District of New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It c ...

References

External links

Neil Walter biography at the Victoria University of Wellington
* SSC Inquir

1942 births, Walter, Neil Douglas Walter, Neil Douglas Walter, Neil Douglas Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit Ambassadors of New Zealand to Japan Walter, Neil Douglas Permanent Delegates of New Zealand to UNESCO Ambassadors of New Zealand to Indonesia {{tokelau-politician-stub