Local politicians control district health board
A politician- dominated health board is not such a bad thing, according to some newly-elected members.
Five local body politicians, one doctor and a community health care activist will run the Capital & Coast District Health Board for the next three years.
Incumbent chairwoman Virginia Hope was re-elected, topping the poll. She specialises in public health and infectious diseases.
Following close behind were former Green MP Sue Kedgley and another former MP, Chris Laidlaw. Both are Wellington regional councillors.
They were followed by Porirua mayor Nick Leggett and another regional councillor, Judith Aitken.
Behind Ms Aitken was a Wellington city councillor, Helene Ritchie.
The lowest-polling elected member was Labour Party candidate David Choat.
Mr Leggett said more clinical representation on the board may have been desirable but was not a necessity.
‘‘Local government politicians do represent communities and most of us are pretty experienced in governance,’’ he said.
Had he not stood for the board, the Wellington region’s whole western corridor from the northern suburbs to Kapiti would have gone unrepresented, he said.
‘‘I can provide a strong voice in terms of advocacy.
‘‘With people like Sue Kedgley and Chris Laidlaw and me there is going to be, shall I say, a stroppier group but, having said that, I am committed to working constructively.’’
Mr Leggett said he had campaigned on prevention of illness in children through investment in primary health care, school-based swabs and monitoring.
‘‘It’s a fact of health that invest- ment at the first stage is money saved later.’’
Ms Aitken said there were significant synergies between local and regional councils’ work and the health board’s in the areas of providing a healthy environment, good public transport and clean water.
Mr Choat said he was not concerned about the level of clinical representation on the board.
‘‘In the end, it is not the job of the board to manage the hospital and, in particular, not to manage the clinicians.
‘‘I would much rather have lay people who are taking advice from those clinical leaders than have [people with] clinician qualifications, but having idiosyncratic views.
‘‘ Having clinical people isn’t automatically superior to having lay people.’’
The most important attribute was a strong commitment to health, he said.
Ms Hope brought her clinical knowledge to bear at the board from time to time, he said.
The Minister of Health had the power to appoint four more members to the board after the election to balance its skills, he said.