The Public Service Commissioner is pleased to announce the appointment of Myra Patai as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Office of the Public Service Commissioner (OPSC). Patai took up her post on 7 May 2019 with an official introduction by the Commissioner to all the Staff of the Office of the Public Service Commissioner.
The CEO’s role is to provide leadership and management to the OPSC to support the effective administration of the Public Service Act 2009 by the Commissioner. As CEO, Patai welcomes the challenge to implement the Cook Islands Government Public Sector Strategy 2016-2025. The Strategy was developed in response to the need for the Public Sector to evolve and to remain relevant to the communities we serve in the Cook Islands as well as to the global environment in which we operate.
Patai is optimistic with the opportunities available in the Public Service to make the Service responsive to the people of the Cook Islands. Patai is committed to ensuring that the operations and processes of the Public Service strengthen service delivery; and moreover that the Public Sector continues to work in collaboration with our people and partners.
As CEO, Patai will be overseeing the OPSC, which as a Central Agency, its key role has been to provide excellent service through the people, structures and systems in the Public Service. With the growing complexity in public administration, Patai will drive a number of Public Sector initiatives including to facilitate opportunities for the Cook Islands diaspora overseas to contribute to our development aspirations.
Patai has a Public Service career spanning twenty six years; and this will be her second time to take up a Head of Ministry’s (HOM) appointment. Previously she was HOM at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI) after being in MFAI for over 20 years. Prior to the CEO role, Patai was the Director of the Policy and Legal Division of the Ministry of Marine Resources. She is an alumni of Victoria University of Wellington having graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and has a Master of Business Administration from the University of the South Pacific.
The Public Service Commissioner is confident that under her tenure as CEO, Patai will make sure that the OPSC will deliver on the Public Sector Strategy and other major national development projects that will allow the Cook Islands to achieve its national vision as expressed in the National Sustainable Development Plan – “To enjoy the highest quality of life consistent with the aspirations of our people, and in harmony with our culture and environment”.
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