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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 1980s before becoming head of dental hygiene services in French Polynesia. In 1993 he became director of public health. In the 1980s 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").

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

In 2008 he was elected a municipal councillor in Punaauia.

In September 2014 he was appointed as Minister of Health and Solidarity in the government of Édouard Fritch. As he was a senior civil servant at the time, he had to wait at least six months before taking up his ministerial duties. In the intervening period his portfolios were managed by Vice-president Nuihau Laurey, and he was employed as a technical advisor in his office. He formally took office on 25 March 2015. In May 2015 he and five other Ministers were deemed to have resigned from the Tahoera'a after ceasing to attend their political council. 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. In October 2015 he established a health study of the inhabitants of Hao and Makemo, which were used as support bases for the tests.

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

References

1. ^ "Patrick Howell, un médecin au Palais Bourbon" (in French). TNTV. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
2. "RENCH POLYNESIA Mururoa Moves Shock Paris". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 59, no. 9. 1 September 1988. p. 33. Retrieved 7 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
3. ^ "Histoire" (in French). Assemblée de la Polynésie française. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
4. "Le gouvernement d'Edouard Fritch dévoilé" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
5. "Deux ministres du gouvernement Fritch frappés "d'incompatibilité"" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
6. "Fritch présente dix ministres dont deux "à devenir"" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
7. "Le gouvernement d'Edouard Fritch enfin au complet" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
8. "Au Tahoera'a démission d'office du député J-P Tuaiva et de six ministres en exercice" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
9. "La commission d'information sur les essais nucléaires se réunira mardi prochain" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
10. "Patrick Howell détaille l'étude sanitaire qui sera menée à Hao et Makemo" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
11. "Législatives : le Tapura donne investiture au trio Sage-Sanquer-Howell" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
12. "Remaniement ministériel : Bouteau, Faatau et Raynal entrent au gouvernement (màj)" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
13. "Fritch reshuffles French Polynesia government". RNZ. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
14. "Tapura candidates lead in Tahiti's French election". RNZ. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
15. "Anti-independence camp wins big in French Pacific". RNZ. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2023.

• Living people
• French Polynesian health professionals
• French Polynesian civil servants
• Tahoera'a Huiraatira politicians
• Tapura Huiraatira politicians
• Government ministers of French Polynesia
• Health ministers of French Polynesia