This Public Service Record (which cannot be stated briefly) is an exceptional one of public service at the highest level. It shows that Mr Collinge has been involved in anextra-ordinarily wide range of community service at national, local and international level over a long period of time, showing sustained commitment. It is his sense of public duty which is a recurring factor –at all levels of public activity –policy and administrative; economic and social. To this he has brought extensive ‘all round’ talents to the positions he has held, and a private sector background to the public sector [eg page 86].
In each case, he has produced a very real and lasting contribution to the community and to New Zealand. Some twenty and thirty years on, many of the results and benefits deriving from his efforts are well established. Examples are: the removal of unsightly power poles and reticulation in many public areas in Auckland; the lighting of Auckland public icons; the initiation and establishment of energy utilisation and conservation both locally and nationally; the implementation of electricity generation (both landfill and combined cycle); the commercialisation of local authority businesses; the development of Mt Smart Stadium; the establishment of effective competition in business; the promotion of fair trading laws; the changed business environment and practices with de-regulation; the promotion of moderation in alcohol messages and direct action to prevent harm; harmonisation in furtherance of the Single Economic Market; the contribution to legal scholarship; the exploitation of the economic sea; the promotion of New Zealand and the Commonwealth; and the other contributions canvassed here. In retrospect, many such benefits and attitudes are lasting, now largely taken for granted and can be seen as important in the context of history and the times. The changes were necessary at the time and reflect community progress.
His record reflects the effectiveness of his efforts and his focus upon results due tohis insights, judgments and his ‘full understanding’ of the issues, his effective implementation of such policies and his ability to cope with change. In all cases, he saw clearly the policy objectives of such change and had the ability to implement them in a practical way. The organisations in which he was involved were widely regarded as well and efficiently run under his stewardship –due largely to the close personal attention he paid them. In so doing, he demonstrated leadership and vision of a quiet but effective kind -either he achieved or implemented change or his foresight led ultimately to change at a later time. He initiated and was directly involved in key changes and was the prime mover in most.
While Mr Collinge’s service reflects the ideals and efforts of the many who voluntarily support political parties, elected representatives and the political process generally (both at national and local level), his public service ranges widely and significantly beyond that and is predominantly apolitical, independent of Governments of both persuasions. It has involved sustained commitment in an extraordinarily wide range of community policies, utilities and activities andin the promotion of New Zealand over a long period of time at local, national and international level.
The many unsolicited independent comments and appreciations in support by way of sample and made at the time testify to his record of public service in many different areas. One commentator, Margaret Meyer, says ‘in the course of researching [an essay] a plethora of accolades have been bestowed upon the man, most unsolicited’ [page 84]. Particularly notable is the high standing of those recording and endorsing his efforts. They confirm, independently, unsolicited and contemporaneously, the contribution of Mr Collinge and the personal qualities outlined above. Though he is by nature invariably unassuming and low key, he has risen to a position of eminence (often by election) in all fields with which he has been associated and show his pre-eminence in many -an indication of the recognition and the high regard in which he is held.