Barrie Leay RIP

Stuff reports:

Energy specialist and renewable energy advocate Barrie Leay will be sorely missed says Windflow Technology chief executive Geoff Henderson. …

Henderson said Leay brought a wealth of New Zealand energy experience and international contacts to the company through his prior roles as executive director of the Electricity Supply Association of New Zealand and chairman of the APEC Energy Business Network in the Asia Pacific.

Barrie Leay was also the National Party’s General Secretary for much of the 1970s and 1980s. His nickname was Buddha, I recall.

Barrie’s tenure was in the golden years of Sir George Chapman, and also Sue Wood. He was a powerful figure. His successors have tended to be fairly apolitical, but Barrie was very political, and hence somewhat controversial.

I joined the party around the time he retired, However I had a wee bit to do with him through the National Political Centre, which was a  internal policy thinktank. He was indeed an expert on energy policy and issues.

Barrie devoted a large part of his life to the National Party. May he rest in peace.