Patrick John Rata is New Zealand Acting High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
A career diplomat, Patrick has previously served as New Zealand Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Ambassador to Italy (with accreditation to nine other countries), and Permanent Representative to the Rome-based UN agencies - FAO, IFAD and WFP.
Patrick’s career has had a particular focus 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 as Vice Chair of the Third Committee, and London, where he covered Commonwealth issues.
Patrick has had a separate career in the trade field, working for ten years as a senior official at the World Trade Organization, including as Chef de Cabinet in the Director-General's office in 2002.
Patrick went to Auckland University where he completed a Master of Arts degree. His wife, Karen Lee Rata, is a lawyer at the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. They have two children. Patrick’s interests include music and sport.