Handful of health board members not vaccinated

‘‘My personal medical information, and therefore vaccination status, is private.’’ Allison Roe Waitematā District Health Board elected member

A prominent sportsperson is understood to be among a handful of DHB board members who are either not vaccinated against Covid-19, or whose vaccination status is not known.

Fewer than five of the approximately 220 DHB board members across the country do not have proof of vaccination, a spokesperson for the DHBs told Stuff.

This includes board members who are seeking medical exemptions.

Stuff understands former New Zealand Sportsperson of the Year, athlete Allison Roe, is among them.

Roe, who won the 1981 New York and Boston marathons, is an elected member of Waitematā District Health Board.

Both the Ministry of Health, and a spokesperson on behalf of the 20 DHBs, said there was an expectation that DHB board members would ‘‘lead by example and be vaccinated’’.

In order to attend any meetings in person on DHB premises, board members must be vaccinated, the ministry said.

Non-vaccinated members are not allowed on campus unless accessing acute health services.

They are allowed to attend board meetings virtually.

Officials would not provide a breakdown of unvaccinated members by district health board ‘‘due to the need to maintain the privacy of the individual board members concerned’’.

Roe was approached by Stuff on multiple occasions to clarify her vaccination status.

However, she did not confirm or deny, saying: ‘‘My personal medical information, and therefore vaccination status, is private.’’

Waitematā DHB chairwoman Dr Judy McGregor said it was the responsibility of individual board members to ensure they complied with the requirements of the Government’s vaccination order.

Waitematā DHB – covering north and west Auckland – has had the second highest number of Covid-19 cases in New Zealand during the Delta outbreak – 1580, as of yesterday – and since the pandemic began (2449 in total).

All 11 Counties Manukau DHB board members are fully vaccinated and Whanganui DHB told Stuff its board members have had both doses.

All other DHBs referred the question on to an external spokesperson.

Stuff recently asked Auckland mayor Phil Goff and all 20 of Auckland’s city councillors what their Covid vaccination status was – all but one shared they are fully vaccinated.

Whau ward councillor Tracy Mullholland was the only councillor who declined to share their vaccination status at the time.

It comes after about 1.8 per cent of the total DHB workforce (of about 80,000 people) have been stood down, resigned, or had their employment terminated because they declined to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

As of Tuesday, 1028 people were stood down, 92 had resigned, and 341 had their employment terminated – including 52 doctors, 518 nurses and 90 midwives – after the vaccine mandate came into force.

In April, Stuff revealed board members at Auckland District Health Board had received the Covid-19 vaccine before some frontline health workers.

This move was defended at the time on the basis board members were ‘‘prominent people’’ tasked to ‘‘lead by example’’.