Votes for council and health sought

People should stand for one or the other and do the job properly. Council candidate Gavin Edwards

The Midcentral District Health Board could be stacked with Palmerston North city councillors after October’s local body elections.

And it is a prospect not all other candidates think is a positive one.

But those candidates standing for both all claim independent reasons for doing so.

Four sitting councillors seeking re-election are also candidates for the board – Adrian Broad, Vaughan Dennison, Lew Findlay and deputy mayor Duncan Mccann.

Sitting board member Karen Naylor is standing for both, and so is outside candidate Martin Egan.

Those who succeed on both could collect upwards of $59,874 a year in remuneration.

There has been a long history of cross-pollination between the council and the board.

For six years, the dual role was held by Jim Jefferies, and later, by Pat Kelly.

Jefferies came to the role after being a director and chairman for Aorangi private hospital, now part of Crest.

‘‘To make a contribution in health, you need that sort of background,’’ he said.

‘‘We need people who understand the health sector in those roles.’’

In 2013 Broad stood for the board and was elected, topping the poll – a result he attributed to being well known throughout the district from his former work for Arohanui Hospice.

Mccann said he was standing for the board because he was passionate about health after a series of experiences helping friends and family through the hospital and a range of health services.

Dennison, seeking his sixth term on council, has stood for both before.

‘‘Health is the most important issue facing our nation as we live longer, and so many are living with disabilities, and the statistics for Maori and Pacific Island people are fairly terrible. I feel I have something to offer.’’

Sitting board members Di Anderson and Barbara Robson said they were concerned about the potential for Palmerston North City councillors to dominate the board.

‘‘It’s fine to have some working together, but a lot of the work that needs to happen should be between management, rather than elected members,’’ said Anderson.

And Robson said it was important there was a geographic spread of board members, and this could be easily lost as members were elected at large across the whole district.

But Naylor said Palmerston North interests were probably under-represented on the board.

Of the seven current elected members, four live outside the city.

In total there are 18 candidates for the district health board. Half of them have Palmerston North addresses.

Naylor said there were really good synergies possible through having people on both board and council, but she was surprised by the sudden interest in health from other candidates.

Council candidate Sue Pugmire said she did not think there should be double dippers – people serving on both authorities.

‘‘It’s good to have good communications, but these things take a lot of time.’’

Gavin Edwards said people should stand for one or the other and do the job properly.

Findlay said his decision to stand for the health board was made late in the process.

It was because of some issues involving the care of people close to him, such as being discharged from hospital late in the day to go home alone to a cold, dark house, and the difficulties people had getting home help.

‘‘There are some problems happening in and around the district health board, and they need to be stopping harm, not just being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.’’

Egan, a former district health board employee, said he knew the health system well, was concerned about services that were lacking, and could certainly manage both jobs.