Iain Robert Rennie (born 1964) is a New Zealand economist and senior public servant. He was
State Services Commissioner
The Public Service Commission (PSC; ), 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 public sector organisations ...
from 2008 to 2016 and has been
Secretary to the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are several Secretaries to the Treasury, who are Treasury ministers nominally acting as secretaries to HM Treasury. The origins of the office are unclear, although it probably originated during Lord Burghley's tenure ...
since November 2024.
Early life and education
Rennie has a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
with Honours in economics from
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...
. He also completed an Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme at
Templeton College
Templeton College was one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, ...
at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
.
Career
Rennie joined the
Treasury
A treasury is either
*A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury.
*A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...
in 1986 as an economic and financial analyst. Work he was involved with included the development of the
Reserve Bank of New Zealand
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) () is the central bank of New Zealand. It was established in 1934 and is currently constituted under the ''Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 2021''. The current acting governor of the Reserve Bank, Christian ...
Act 1989.
From 1989 to 1993 he was seconded to work as an economic advisor to opposition leader and (from 1990) prime minister
Jim Bolger
James Brendan Bolger ( ; born 31 May 1935) is a New Zealand retired politician of the National Party who was the 35th prime minister of New Zealand, serving from 1990 to 1997.
Bolger was born in Ĺpunake, Taranaki, to Irish immigrants. Bef ...
. He returned to the Treasury to work as a manager of fiscal analysis and budget management. From 1997 to 2007 he was deputy secretary of regulatory and tax policy.
In 2007 he transferred to the
State Services Commission
The Public Service Commission (PSC; ), 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 public sector organisations ...
as the deputy state services commissioner to
Mark Prebble
Mark Prebble (born 1951) is a former New Zealand civil servant. He was the State Services Commissioner, head of New Zealand's public service from May 2004 until 30 June 2008. On 25 January 2008, Prebble announced his retirement after 32 years in ...
. The following year, when Prebble retired. Rennie was promoted to State Services Commissioner and the head of state services. After completing an initial five-year term, he was reappointed for a three-year term in July 2013.
Rennie retired in 2016 and was succeeded by
Peter Hughes. In his role as Commissioner, Rennie was involved in driving state sector reform in line with the Government's objectives. The State Sector Amendment Act 2013 gave him greater responsibility for developing senior leadership and management capability, including appointments to key positions within the public service.
In retirement, Rennie took on economic consultancy contracts. He was appointed independent chair of the Treasury's Financial Statements of Government Audit Committee in 2021. In November 2024 he was announced as the Secretary to the Treasury, succeeding
Caralee McLeish.
Honours
Rennie was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the
2017 New Year Honours
The 2017 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours were awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rennie, Iain
1964 births
Living people
New Zealand economists
New Zealand public servants
Victoria University of Wellington alumni
Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit