New health board from October

Nominations have opened for candidates seeking a place on the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board.

The election for the 11-member board will be held in October alongside local government elections.

Seven members of the board would be elected, while four would be appointed by the Minister of Health.

Nelson Marlborough District Health Board electoral officer Warwick Lampp said New Zealand citizens aged 18 or older were eligible to stand in the elections, which were held every three years.

Board members were responsible for the governance of the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board, Lampp said.

‘‘Typically, people want to give back to the community.’’

Candidates did not need to live within the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board area, but needed to be nominated by two people living within the area.

There was no limit on how many times a candidate could stand for the health board.

Prospective candidates needed to be able to commit to monthly board and committee meetings that alternated between Nelson and Blenheim.

As well as the health board there were three committees – the community and public health advisory committee, disability support advisory committee and hospital advisory committee.

Health board member Jessica Bagge said she decided to stand for the board in 2013 after becoming interested in health board governance through the Save Our Services campaign.

Bagge, who had decided not to put her hand up for the board again, said the role was a rewarding experience.

‘‘There’s so many interesting things happening in health and I would recommend it for anyone with an interest in that area.’’

The demands of an aging population were among issues that the health board was grappling with, Bagge said.

‘‘There are some big challenges coming up so the next term will be interesting.’’

Because health boards were funded by the Government with taxpayer money, all health board members were directly accountable to the Minister of Health.

The district encompassed a population of 108,089 people across Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough.

Nominations for the health board opened on July 15 and would close on August 12.

Voting documents for the elections will be delivered from September 16 with voting closing on October 8. For more information visit nmdhb.govt.nz