Norman Colin McLeod (5 August 1921 – 6 April 2018) was a New Zealand civil engineer, who served as the Commissioner of Works between 1973 and 1981.

Early life and education

McLeod was born in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

on 5 August 1921, the son of Norman John Murdoch McLeod, also an engineer, and Eva Mary McLeod (née Ringrose). Raised in the

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

suburb of

Karori Karori is a suburb located at the western edge of the urban area of Wellington, New Zealand, from the city centre and is one of New Zealand's most populous suburbs, with a population of in The name Karori used to be Kaharore and is from th ...

, he was educated at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: New Zealand * Wellington College, Wellington, New Zealand * Wellington College of Education, now the Faculty of Education of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand * Wellington Girls' College, Wellington, N ...

, and went on to study civil engineering at

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

, graduating BE in 1942.

Early career and military service

Following graduation, McLeod initially worked in the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

, designing coastal defences. In April 1943, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Corps of New Zealand Engineers, but was decommissioned and sent overseas in January 1944 as a

sapper A sapper, also called a combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing field defenses ...

, serving in Italy. He was again commissioned as a second lieutenant in February 1945, and served as

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

to Brigadier Fred Hanson. In March 1946, he went to Japan with the 5th Engineer Company as part of

J Force J Force (sometimes referred to as "Jayforce") was the name given to the New Zealand forces that were allocated to the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) which occupied Japan following the end of the Second World War. The force was deploy ...

Post-war family and career

Returning to New Zealand in September 1946, he married Ella Margaret McEwan, and the couple went on to have three children. McLeod resumed his career with the Ministry of Works, and in 1949 moved to

Mangakino Mangakino is a small town on the banks of the Waikato River in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the hydroelectric power station at Lake Maraetai, southeast of Hamilton. The town and its infrastructure are administered a ...

, where he rose to become the project engineer for construction of the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

dams. In 1962, McLeod became district commissioner of works in

Wanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest nav ...

. and then, from 1964 to 1966, district commissioner of Works in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

. After an Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship in the United States in 1966, McLeod served as director of the National Water and Soil Conservation Authority from 1966 to 1971. He was appointed Commissioner of Works, succeeding Jim Macky, in 1973, and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1981, when he was succeeded by Jack Chesterman. In the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours, McLeod was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

, in recognition of his service as commissioner.

Later life and death

McLeod's wife, Ella, was active in community activities, including 15 years as a member of the

Wellington Hospital Board Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...

from 1974 to 1989. In the 1982 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was awarded the

Queen's Service Medal The King's Service Medal (created as the Queen's Service Medal in 1975 and renamed in 2024) is a medal awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community and also public service in elected or app ...

for community service. She died on 20 June 2011. Colin McLeod died in Wellington on 6 April 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLeod, Colin 1921 births 2018 deaths New Zealand public servants New Zealand civil engineers New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand military personnel of World War II People from Auckland People educated at Wellington College, Wellington Wellington Hospital Board members