Support voiced for exhealth board chairman
HAMILTON: The embattled former Waikato District Health Board chairman still has a place at the table of a council he was elected to, despite criticism of his governance over the chief executive spending scandal.
According to the chairman at Waikato Regional Council, it was ‘‘fortunate’’ to have former Waikato District Health Board chairman Bob Simcock as part of the team.
Council chairman Alan Livingston said Mr Simcock, whose oversight of processes around Dr Nigel Murray’s excessive spending was found to be lax and wanting, ‘‘added a lot of value’’.
Mr Simcock resigned as WDHB chairman late last year following public pressure of his oversight of the chief executive’s expenses.
Under Mr Simcock’s watch, Dr Murray, the former Southland Health Board chief executive, was found to have spent $120,000 of taxpayer money that was unjustified or unauthorised.
A State Services Commission (SSC) inquiry found Mr Simcock was too trusting of the CEO.
But Mr Livingston said Mr Simcock ‘‘provided a huge amount of value’’ to the roles he held on the regional council and the chairman had no reason to review Mr Simcock’s position.
‘‘We are fortunate to have Bob around our table. He provides a huge amount of experience and is contributing a lot.’’
At the council Mr Simcock holds a senior role, chairing its strategy and policy committee and also sits on the audit and risk committee.
He declined to comment on his future at the council.
Mr Simcock, who is a former National MP and Hamilton mayor, is in his second term as a Waikato regional councillor for the Hamilton constituency.
The former deer farmer and psychologist has courted controversy for more than two decades.
In 1997 as a National MP for Hamilton West, Mr Simcock tried to get a taxpayerfunded trip to England to visit his daughter.
He was Hamilton mayor when the city hosted the V8s street race and a PwC review of the event found Mr Simcock was involved in keeping financial problems about the race from councillors for two years.
Ultimately the failed street race cost Hamilton almost $40 million.
He was also on the board of Karapiro 2010 Ltd, the organisation set up to run the 2010 World Rowing Championships, which also had a budget blowout.
Mr Simcock previously said he long ago publicly accepted responsibility for the role he played in the V8 event, and that his role on the rowing board was so peripheral that an investigation into it did not interview him.
On the day he quit as chairman at Waikato DHB last year following a report revealing the Serious Fraud Office was looking into Dr Murray’s spending, Mr Simcock did not show up to a regional council meeting he was supposed to chair.
Mr Livingston said Mr Simcock added value to the committees he was on.
‘‘I’ve got no reason at all to have any questioning around our council table, which includes being a chair of one of our committees,’’ Mr Livingston said.
‘‘Around our table there is no reservation, no concern whatsoever.’’
Waikato Regional Council had not received any complaints about Mr Simcock holding a governance position at the regional council, following the release of the SSC inquiry last week. — NZME