The foregoing reflects Mr Collinge’s versatility and, as has been said, his ‘brilliant’ and ‘formidable’ career [pages 59, 86]. Thus, he was a top scholar (Senior Scholar in Law at Auckland University and Shell Scholar to Oxford University); a successful academic (an innovative and prize winning legal researcher and author); ‘one of the country’s top commercial lawyers’ [page 271] (an authority on contract, competition and consumer law); a businessman (as Chairman of the pioneer of NZ’s tuna resources and Chairman of market leader United Distillers NZ Ltd); a top local body politician (in his leading contributions to the AEPB, ARA and EDANZ); a policy contributor, strategist and campaigner (in his roles as President of the NationalParty and President of Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers); a senior and effective diplomat (as High Commissioner to the UK and Ambassador to Ireland); a contributor to social issues and the arts (eg through ALAC and the DSML Foundation etc); and a sportsman (as Captain of NZ Universities XI and County cricket for Oxford University).
His personal characteristics are also clear and recognised by others at the time as the attached ‘Independent Comment and Supporting Material’ shows. They include thoughtfulnesscontributing to a ‘full understanding’ of the issues and strategic thinking [page 60]; and professionalism, ‘patience and amiability’ and ‘unfailing courtesy’ in relation to implementation [pages 82, 118]. His manner is described as ‘not given to extravagant or undignified statements’ [page 142], nor to ‘grandstanding or tub-thumping’ [page 23], nor to personal or retaliatory attacks [pages 23, 142]. He is invariably described as ‘quietly spoken and mild mannered’, ‘quiet and reserved’, ‘unassuming’, ‘selfeffacing’ (and sometimes as ‘unprepossessing’) [pages 23, 75, 82, 83, 286] with a quiet sense of humour [eg pages 4, 75, 116, 249, 288]. However, he is recognised as having ‘energy’, ‘well known courage and composure’, ‘enormous intellectual ability’ and as a ‘heavyweight’ [see eg pages 60, 82, 83, 133] backed up by a strong sense of integrity [eg pages 21, 23, 34, 110, 137] and by diligence, application and hard work. A particular characteristic (evidenced by his record above) is his ability to accommodate all sides of an issue –and to act fairly and in a balanced way.
As has been said, ‘His manner gives no indication of the importance of his tasks’ [page 84]. However, this should not hide his perception and contribution. In approach, he has always sought to ascertain and advance the public interest with a clear pro-active purpose for his various public service roles [eg pages 62, 65] when ‘something was worthwhile achieving’ [page 86]. When charged with responsibilities by legislation, he was diligent inimplementing the legislative programme and direction [eg pages 52, 79]. Likewise, he has reminded Governments of both persuasions where the public interest is involved [eg pages 51, 73]. His focus was always on what was sought to be achieved.
His effortsin endeavouring to further the public interest have sometimes been against his own interests or at his personal cost. Thus, his stand in opposing the ‘hijacking’ of the public stake in the AEPB is one example for which he was deposed but won widespread support (and even ‘hero status’). Standing up to the pressure applied by the Round Table in applying the Commerce Act (when they argued contrary to the legislation for purely market remedies) is another. Endeavouring, prior to MMP, to keep the National Partyas a ‘broad church’ in order to achieve electoral success had the capacity to make him unpopular with both the Richardson and Peters factions of the Party.
Mr Collinge has characteristically sought a challenge [eg page 86] and has not shirked difficult tasks (eg the ARA when there was much public controversy over profligate spending and the completion of Mt Smart Stadium); eg the EDANZ at a time of energy shortages and a power crisis; eg ALAC in consequence of a prior adverse Review and change of direction; eg the National Party and Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers at times of internal tension; and the Commerce Commission in the change from price control and regulation to competition and fair trading). As the Herald headline said, he was ‘The right man whenchange is in the air’ [pages 84, 270].
Upon his return from the United Kingdom as High Commissioner, he continued to participate and provide his services in positions and roles where he had previous experience –eg as Patron of the British New Zealand Business Association (17 years) where he has continued to promote the NZ/UK relationship; as President of Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers (5 years) where he returned to provide stability and success after an election debacle; as a Trustee of the Auckland Energy Consumer Trust (6 years) when hislong standing objective of amalgamating the Auckland and Waitemata Power Boards to create a regional electricity asset was achieved [eg page 11]; as Chairman of the Auckland Central Electorate of the National Party (3 years) and its Electorate Campaign Manager in 2005. This reflects his loyalty to the institutions in which he had previously been involved and a continuation of service.
Many of the positions he has undertaken have been for nominal remuneration (eg the AEPB, the ARA and the EDANZ), many others were entirely voluntary (eg the National Party, Auckland C & R, the DSML Foundation) and many others were at a fraction of his earning capacity (eg the Commerce Commission, ALAC and the High Commission). While he isyet another example of ‘State House’ origins (living while at school in Jackson Street, Wanganui and Towers Street, Paeroa), his legal practice has effectively subsidised these activities. He is not and has never been a career public servant and has not depended upon any such activity for his income or career. He has unstintingly, beyond his chosen vocation as a lawyer, given his public service freely and in a very public spirited way, as a matter of public service not vocation, across a wide range of endeavour in spite of having highly valuable and marketable skills.