Iain Rennie

Who is Iain Rennie?

Iain Robert Rennie is the State Services Commissioner of the New Zealand public service. He was the Deputy State Services Commissioner from 2007 until June 2008. On 25 January 2008, the incumbent State Services Commissioner Mark Prebble announced his retirement after 32 years in the Public Service, effective 30 June 2008.

In April 2008, it was announced that Rennie was to be the new State Services Commissioner, the head of New Zealand's public service, succeeding Mark Prebble.

Rennie has a BA in Economics from Victoria University of Wellington. . He joined the Treasury in 1986, and also worked for 1990-93 and 2004 in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

In April 2013 Rennie was forced to defend the process behind the hiring of the head of New Zealand's spy agency the Government Communications Security Bureau, Ian Fletcher, after Prime Minister John Key admitted he had told Fletcher - his childhood friend - to apply for the job, and no one else was interviewed for the position. At a news conference on the matter, Rennie advised reporters not to use Twitter until the conference was over.