Patrick Howell

Patrick Howell is a French Polynesian civil servant, politician, and former Cabinet Minister. He is a member of Tapura Huiraatira.

Howell trained as a dental surgeon and worked at the Teva I Uta medical center in the early 1980's before becoming head of dental hygiene services in French Polynesia.[1] In 1993 he became director of public health.[1] In the 1980's he campaigned against French nuclear testing and for the creation of a health register for test workers as part of the Tomite No Te Rai Hau ("Blue Skies Committee").[2]

In May 1994 he was appointed Minister for the Environment and Scientific Research in the government of Gaston Flosse.[1][3] In a cabinet reshuffle in June 1995 he became Minister of Employment, while retaining his Environment portfolio.[3] In May 1996 he was appointed Minister of Health and Scientific Research, positions he held until September 2001.[3]

In 2008 he was elected a municipal councillor in Punaauia.[1]

In September 2014 he was appointed as Minister of Health and Solidarity in the government of Édouard Fritch.[4] As he was a senior civil servant at the time, he had to wait at least six months before taking up his ministerial duties.[5] In the intervening period his portfolios were managed by Vice-President Nuihau Laurey, and he was employed as a technical advisor in his office.[6] He formally took office on 25 March 2015.[7] In May 2015 he and five other Ministers were deemed to have resigned from the Tahoera'a after ceasing to attend their political council.[8] In May 2015 he was appointed as one of the French Polynesian government's delegates to the newly-formed Nuclear Tests Information Commission, tasked with investigating the health and environmental impact of French nuclear testing.[9] In October 2015 he established a health study of the inhabitants of Hao and Makemo, which were used as support bases for the tests.[10]

In October 2016 he was selected as Tapura's candidate for French Polynesia's 3rd constituency in the 2017 French legislative election.[11] He surrendered his ministerial portfolios in January 2017 so he could focus on the campaign.[12][13] He led in the first round,[14] but lost to Moetai Brotherson in the second.[15]