Health board’s CEO expenses still not known

HAMILTON: Disgraced Waikato District Health Board (WDHB) chief executive Dr Nigel Murray’s latest expenses will not be disclosed until an investigation into the management of his spending is complete.

Mr Murray resigned last week after a separate investigation into three years worth of his expenses in the top job at the WDHB found ‘‘unauthorised expenses’’.

The twomonthlong independent inquiry by an Auckland lawyer also found Mr Murray spent more than the agreed $25,000 allocated for relocation costs when he returned from Canada to take up the $560,000 a year post in Hamilton.

Mr Murray is recorded publicly as spending $36,000 on relocation costs, including $11,710 on early arrival accommodation costs.

After it was reported he was under fire by Government watchdog the State Services Commission in December for not filing the annual expenses on time, disclosure was made more than two years late in January this year.

They showed Mr Murray had spent $108,000 on domestic and international flights and accommodation for work for his first two financial years in the job.

When Waikato District Health Board chairman Bob Simcock was asked about the expenses on February 8, he said he was not ‘‘greatly concerned about them’’.

The taxpayer money Mr Murray spent in the past financial year, from July 2016 to June 2017, has still not been disclosed, despite being part of the nowclosed investigation.

The State Services Commission [SSC] said it had raised the issue of the Waikato DHB chief executive’s expense disclosure with Mr Simcock.

Mr Murray’s latest expenses were due by the end of July but on July 22 he went on leave and the investigation into his spending was launched.

‘‘We understand that Audit New Zealand is currently working with the board to review the systems and processes for expense approvals,’’ an SSC spokesman said.

‘‘The board chair has advised SSC that the chief executive’s expenses will be disclosed once the review processes are completed.’’

The completed audit is expected by the end of this month.