Patrick Blanchfield MBE JP (18 December 1911 – 20 June 1980) was a Labour Party member of the New Zealand Parliament for Westland and the West Coast.

[1] Blanchfield was elected as a member of the Greymouth Borough Council via a by-election in 1937, aged only 21.

[1] In 1947 he put himself forward as a candidate for the Labour Party nomination for the Westland electorate at a by-election.

[3] In 1953 he returned to the Borough Council "topping the poll" and was a member until 1962 when he chose not to stand for re-election.

[1] He was famous for his elaborate style of oration and habit of quoting his favourite authors (including William Shakespeare, Robbie Burns, John Milton and Thomas Gray) in speeches to Parliament.

[1] In 1977, Blanchfield was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.

[5] In the 1978 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the community.