High Commissioner Designate Patrick John Rata

Patrick John Rata is New Zealand High Commissioner Designate to India.

A career diplomat, Patrick has previously served as New Zealand Acting High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Ambassador to Italy (with accreditation to nine other countries), and Permanent Representative to the Rome-based United Nations agencies - FAO, IFAD and WFP.

Patrick has worked extensively on multilateral issues, with earlier postings to the New Zealand Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, where he worked on Security Council issues and was elected Vice Chair of the Third Committee, and London, where he covered Commonwealth issues.

Patrick’s experience also covers the field of trade, having worked for ten years as a senior official at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, including as Chef de Cabinet in the Director-General's office in 2002.

Patrick holds a Master’s degree from Auckland University. His wife, Karen Lee Rata, is a lawyer. They have two children, Justin and Ashley. Patrick’s interests include music and sport.