Brook Barrington
{{Short description|New Zealand public servant and diplomat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}{{Use New Zealand English|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Brook Barrington
| image = Brook Barrington official portrait (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Official Secretary of Defence portrait (2024)
| office = New Zealand Secretary of Defence
| term_start = 1 July 2024
| term_end =
| predecessor = Andrew Bridgman
| successor =
| office1 =
| term_start1 =
| term_end1 =
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| successor1 =
| birth_name = Brook Francis Barrington
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
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| alma_mater = University of Auckland
| profession =
| module = {{Infobox academic
| embed = yes
| thesis_year = 1993
| thesis_title = New Zealand and the search for security 1944-1954: 'a modest and moderate collaboration'
| thesis_url = https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/items/b8961456-ca61-4c5d-a3f1-f5e54c99c13b
| doctoral_advisor = Nicholas Tarling
}}
}}
Brook Francis Barrington is a New Zealand public servant and former diplomat, who is currently serving as chief executive of the Ministry of Defence and Secretary of Defence. He has previously served as chief executive of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Early life and education
Barrington was awarded a PhD in history from the University of Auckland in 1993. His thesis on the transformation of New Zealand's foreign policy from 1944 to 1954 was supervised by Nicholas Tarling.{{Cite thesis |title=New Zealand and the search for security 1944-1954: 'a modest and moderate collaboration' |url=https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/1909 |publisher=ResearchSpace@Auckland |date=1993 |degree=Doctoral |language=en |first=Brook |last=Barrington}}
Barrington's marriage to Gillian, a nurse, ended with her death in 2023.{{cite web |date=15 November 2023 |title=Gillian BARRINGTON Obituary (2023) |url=https://notices.nzherald.co.nz/nz/obituaries/nzherald-nz/name/gillian-barrington-obituary?id=53587761 |access-date=6 June 2024 |website=Legacy.com}}
Career
Barrington began his public service career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in 1990.{{Cite web|title=IPANZ New Professionals - Meet the Chiefs Breakfast with Brook Barrington : Institute of Public Administration New Zealand|url=https://ipanz.org.nz/Event?Action=View&Event_id=845|access-date=2022-02-09|website=ipanz.org.nz}} He had diplomatic postings in Canberra and, as deputy head of mission to the European Union, in Brussels from 1999 to 2002.{{cite web |date=5 June 2024 |title=Secretary of Defence appointed |url=https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/news/secretary-of-defence-appointed |access-date=6 June 2024 |website=Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission}} He was seconded as a foreign policy, trade and defence advisor at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) until his appointment as the Ambassador of New Zealand to Thailand, which he held from 2006 until 2009.{{cite web |date=28 February 2006 |title=Peters names next Ambassador to Bangkok |url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/peters-names-next-ambassador-bangkok |access-date=6 June 2024 |website=The Beehive}}{{cite web |url=http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/brook-barrington-state-sector-veteran-named-head-mfat-bd-169505 |title=Brook Barrington, state sector veteran, named head of MFAT |publisher=National Business Review |date=3 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404050947/http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/brook-barrington-state-sector-veteran-named-head-mfat-bd-169505 |archive-date=4 April 2015}}
After leaving MFAT, Barrington held deputy chief executive positions at the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Justice.{{Cite web|last=Manning|first=Selwyn|title=Brook Barrington Appointed Head of New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade {{!}} Evening Report|date=4 March 2015 |url=https://eveningreport.nz/2015/03/04/brook-barrington-appointed-head-of-new-zealand-foreign-affairs-and-trade/|access-date=2022-02-09|language=en-US}} He returned to MFAT as chief executive in 2015 and was credited with "restoring order" to the department after a "controversial" restructuring process.{{Cite web|date=2018-06-12|title=Upheaval in public service after sweeping changes|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104640665/upheaval-in-public-service-after-sweeping-changes|access-date=2022-02-09|website=Stuff|language=en}}
State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes reassigned Barrington to the head of DPMC in 2019 as part of a series of high-profile transfers between departments.{{Cite web|title=Five new heads for government departments in reshuffle|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/five-new-heads-for-government-departments-in-reshuffle/CR2TT3IW7VBZ6NZ2Y6KNJTXTVY/|access-date=2022-02-09|website=NZ Herald|language=en-NZ}}
Barrington took family leave from DPMC from March 2023 and resigned his substantive role in January 2024. He was soon after appointed for a short term as acting chief executive of MFAT.{{cite web |last=Traylen |first=Jem |date=18 January 2024 |title=Brook Barrington returns as acting chief of foreign affairs |url=https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/public-sector/brook-barrington-returns-as-acting-chief-of-foreign-affairs |access-date=6 June 2024 |website=BusinessDesk}} He was announced as the chief executive of the Ministry of Defence on 5 June 2024 and appointed to a five-year term.