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TE PUNI KÖKIRI CHIEF EXECUTIVEOk what’s next?When Leith Comer picks up his jacket andsatchel on 28 September and leaves his officeon the 10th floor of Te Puni Kökiri House forthe last time, it’ll bring down the curtain onmore than 40 years of public service. A careerthat began in 1966 when as a 17 year oldhe enlisted in the air force, spent 21 years inthe military; followed by eight years in theprivate consultancy sector including some iwiwork, and five years chairing Lakeland Healththat delivered health services to Rotorua andTaupö. That was followed by a four-year stintwith the Ministry of Economic Developmentand then 12 years with Te Puni Kökiri.There has been community and voluntarywork too; but it all began with a shaky start.Leith’s dad – Purei Fraser – a veteran of the28th (Mäori) Battalion, died when Leith wasonly two years old. His mother Maude wasleft to raise Leith and his older sister. Maudewas also hapu at the time; a younger sisterwas born eight months after Purei died.The Fraser’s were livingin Matatä, fortunatelyMaude’s parents livedthere too and thefatherless family movedin with them. With asmile in his voice Leithrecalls thinking they wereethe richest family intown, with this big twostoreyed house and atruck for transport.Later he realised thatthe second storey wasjust the attic, and whenhis grandfather CecilDavis gave up his jobas the local rabbit board inspector, the truckwent back to the board and they ended upwalking like everyone else.The family’s fortunes took a turn for thebetter when Maude met and married StanComer. He was a builderin Kawerau, he not onlymarried Maude, but alsoadopted the three children,raised them and gave themhis name - Comer.Stan and Maude ComerIn 1957, the familymoved from Kawerau toPapatoetoe where Stan gotwork helping to build thesuburbs to house the tensof thousands of people whobecame part of the urbandrift from the country toSouth Auckland.Leith recalls his growing upin Papatoetoe with greataffection. He was given a good educationin good state schools; he enjoyed all thesporting activities that came his way – golf,24TE PUNI KÖKIRI | KÖKIRI | KÖANGA / SPRING 2012
TE PUNI KÖKIRI CHIEF EXECUTIVEcricket, and rugby. He had money in hispocket too; there was always a job – a paperrun, milk run and the freezing works.Then in 1966 he joined the air force.“There wasn’t any great discussion about itor reason, I guess it was in my blood. Bothmy grandfathers served in the First WorldWar. My father and myuncles served in WorldWar Two. It wasmy turn.”With hindsighthe reckons hewas probably alittle immature. Heunderwent pilot trainingbut discovered he didn’thave the precisionrequired to becomea good pilot; so heswitched and followed hisforebears into the army.The switch was a success,army life suited officer cadet Comer.His officer and leadership training began atPortsea Officer Cadet School in Australia.Later in his army career, Leith wouldcommand the New Zealand Officer CadetUnit, at a time when it began trainingwomen officers, something the Australianschool didn’t do.He went on to serve in the MultinationalPeacekeeping Force in the Sinai desert,preserving the peace between Egypt andIsrael. He concedes it was a quiet tour of duty.“I enjoyed the physical side of soldiering andI went through all the command levels -platoon commander, company commanderand achieved my ambition of commandinga regular force battalion. I also becameinterested in the intellectual side of warfare.”Something he was able to study up closewhile he was an exchange officer at theUnited States Infantry Centre, and a studentat the United States Army General StaffCollege, where he passed with distinctionand won the Eisenhower Award for the topforeign student.His final job in the army was commander ofthe Ready Reaction Force, a Battalion with700 personnel, the army’s biggest unit. Bynow he was Lt-Colonel Leith Comer.“After 21 years I had a choice, I wascommanding the biggestsingle unit in the army.From there the careerpath was to a staff role inWellington. It was a goodtime to leave.”On civvy street Leithestablished FraserConsultants, whichspecialised in MäoriDevelopment StrategicConsultancy services.He also gained privatesector experience onBoards like LakelandHealth, which he chairedfor five years. During this phase of his lifehe re-established contact with former armycolleague Wira – now Sir Harawira Gardiner- who was working at the Iwi TransitionAgency, which wasworking though theprocess which sawthe shutdown ofthe Department ofMäori Affairs andthe development ofa Ministry of MäoriAffairs.In 1997 Leith movedback into the publicservice as a DeputySecretary of theMinistry of Commerce;where he remainedfor four years before taking the role of ChiefExecutive Officer at Te Puni Kökiri.“I have been privileged to have had this role forthe last 12 years. There have been a number ofsignificant developments in that time:The development of Mäori Television, launchingthe Mäori Trust Office as a stand-aloneentity, and Mäori doing business in China.A number of major Treaty of Waitangisettlements have been concluded and wehave seen Iwi step up and play a greater rolein the affairs of the country. In fact there islittle that can be achieved in New Zealandunless Mäori are willing andactive participants.There is ongoing development in theeconomic strength of Mäori and thatwill continue.Many people have helped me along theway, I’m thinking of my uncle Bishop ManuBennett who kept me grounded by allowingme to carry his luggage; but there are twoformer colleagues who were a great helpto me as I was learning the ropes in thecivil service – Tä Harawira Gardiner, andPaul Carpinter a former Deputy Secretary ofTreasury and Chief Executive of the Ministryof Commerce. I owe them special thanks.For me it’s been a great leadership role, butit is time to hand over to someone else.While I will be exiting the public service on28 September, I will not be retiring; insteadI’ll be looking for new challenges in theprivate and iwi sectors.However there is one thing I’m really lookingforward to --- and that’s not having to put atie on every day.”TE PUNI KÖKIRI | KÖKIRI | KÖANGA / SPRING 201225
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Page 4 and 5: From the desk of the Minister of M
Page 6 and 7: WHÄNAU SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME
Page 9 and 10: MÄORI WARDENSAroha ki te Tangata:M
Page 11 and 12: MÄORI CADETSHIPS: INTERVIEWMary Ke
Page 13 and 14: HUIA PUBLISHERS 21ST BIRTHDAYRobynB
Page 15 and 16: SCIENCE AND INNOVATIONScienceboost
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Page 19 and 20: MÄRA KAITe Moana ä ToiMaintaining
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Page 27 and 28: WHÄNAU ORAPacific Leaders Enhance
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