Michael Wintringham

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Michael Wintringham

State Services Commissioner
In office 1997 – May 2004
Prime Minister	Jim Bolger, Jenny Shipley, Helen Clark
Preceded by	Don Hunn
Succeeded by	Mark Prebble

Michael Wintringham (b. 1947), New Zealand public servant. Former State Services Commissioner and head of New Zealand's public service.

Wintringham spent his early career in the New Zealand Treasury, with a posting to Washington as Economic Counsellor at the New Zealand Embassy. Wintringham then worked as an Assistant Auditor-General, before leaving the public service to work for a management consultancy in Wellington.

Wintringham was appointed Chief Executive of the Ministry of Housing by State Services Commissioner Don Hunn. In 1997, Wintringham succeeded Hunn as State Services Commissioner and head of New Zealand's public service.

In 2001, Wintringham was involved in a controversy involving an employment dispute taken out by one of his departmental Chief Executives, Christine Rankin. Incoming Social Welfare Minister Steve Maharey had criticised Rankin's personal and management style as chief executive of the Department of Work and Income in 1999, and Wintringham chose not to reappoint Rankin to her role in 2001. Rankin made allegations of sexism towards her by officials and Ministers. Rankin lost the court case, but some of the evidence given during the hearing by Wintringham and DPMC chief executive Mark Prebble was embarrassing to all involved, and was the dominant political news topic of the year.

In 2004, Wintringham retired from the public service, and was succeeded by Mark Prebble. Wintringham has since been appointed to several government boards, and has run reviews and inquiries on behalf of the Government.