Sir Bruce Houlton Slane (10 August 1931 – 7 January 2017) was a New Zealand public servant and lawyer. He served as New Zealand's first Privacy Commissioner from 1992 to 2003.

Early life and family

Slane was educated at

Takapuna Grammar School Takapuna Grammar School is a state coeducational secondary school located in the suburb of Belmont on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. Established in 1927, the school mainly serves the eponymous suburb of Takapuna and the entire Dev ...

and

Auckland University The University of Auckland (; Māori language, Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public university, public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the Unive ...

, graduating with a law degree in 1957. He married Penelope Slane (née Grant), with whom he had three children. The Slanes separated around 2001.

Career

He became a partner at the law firm run by Jock Cairns, later known as Cairns Slane Fitzgerald and Phillips. He was involved in the broadcasting industry as a radio commentator under the pseydonym "Bruce Christopher" and as chair of the Broadcasting Tribunal from 1977 to 1990. He additionally served as president of the

New Zealand Law Society The New Zealand Law Society () is the parent body for barristers and solicitors in New Zealand. It was established in 1869, and regulates all lawyers practising in New Zealand. Membership of the society is voluntary, although any person wishing ...

from 1982 to 1985. Slane was appointed New Zealand's first Privacy Commissioner in April 1992, under the Privacy Commissioner Act 1991. He assisted the government with the development of the Privacy Act 1993, which provided for the continuation of his role and outlined its functions at a time when the advent of computers increased risks to personal information. Slane held office until 2003, when he retired.

Honours and awards

In the

1985 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1985 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries ...

, Slane was named a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, in recognition of his service as president of the New Zealand Law Society. He was appointed a

Distinguished 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 on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...

, for services to personal and human rights and the law, in the

2003 New Year Honours The 2003 New Year's Honours List is one of the annual New Year Honours, a part of the British monarch's honours system, where 1 January is marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of ot ...

. He accepted the redesignation as a

Knight 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 th ...

in 2009, following the reintroduction of titular honours by the New Zealand government.

Family and later years

Sir Bruce Slane died on 7 January 2017, ten days after his wife Lady Penelope Slane died on 28 December 2016. In 2018 and 2023, milestone anniversary years of the Privacy Act 1993, Slane has been remembered in the Sir Bruce Slane memorial lecture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slane, Bruce 1931 births 2017 deaths 20th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand public servants People educated at Takapuna Grammar School University of Auckland alumni New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit