Colin McLeod

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 on 5 August 1921, the son of Norman John Murdoch McLeod, also an engineer, and Eva Mary McLeod (née Ringrose). Raised in the Wellington suburb of Karori, he was educated at Wellington College, and went on to study civil engineering at Canterbury University College, graduating BE in 1942.

Early career and military service Following graduation, McLeod initially worked in the Public Works Department, designing coastal defences. He was again commissioned as a second lieutenant in February 1945, and served as adjutant to Brigadier Fred Hanson.

McLeod resumed his career with the Ministry of Works, and in 1949 moved to Mangakino, where he rose to become the project engineer for construction of the Waikato River dams. 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. 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, 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 from 1974 to 1989. She died on 20 June 2011.