Health chiefs’ spending to be probed

A district health board chief executive is to be investigated over alleged unauthorised spending, the Weekend Herald has learned.

Waikato DHB chief executive Dr Nigel Murray is understood to have been informed of the investigation.

Board chairman Bob Simcock declined to comment but a source close to the DHB told the Weekend Herald concerns about Murray’s expenses were first raised by staff last year.

Murray, who took up the $ 560,000- plus job in July 2014, came under fire in December last year when the Herald revealed he had not disclosed his annual expenses for his first two financial years in the role. Government watchdog the States Services Commission said then it was “disappointed” at the delay.

When they were disclosed in Janu- ary, the expenses showed Murray had spent $ 108,000 of taxpayers’ money on international and domestic travel for the job, including $ 36,000 worth of relocation costs from his former job in Canada to Hamilton. That included $ 11,710 for early arrival accommodation costs because Murray finished his role at Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia earlier than expected.

A source said eyebrows were raised when Murray finally disclosed his expenses to staff because some spending allegedly could not be accounted for.

Simcock told the Herald in February he was comfortable with Murray’s comparatively high expenses because of his role as lead chief executive on national health groups.

He added they were skewed because of the moving costs and said the board would be making sure the expenses did not “grow too much”.

Murray declined to answer questions at the time.

It’s understood Murray has since reimbursed some of the spending but it’s not clear how much. His latest expenses for the 2016/ 17 year, along with those of other DHB chief executives, are due now.

Waikato- based Labour MP Sue Moroney said she had been told the spending in question was on the chief executive’s credit card. “My understanding i s that the investigation covers t wo financial years of unauthorised and unexplained spending.”

A Waikato DHB spokeswoman said the DHB had no comment and questions put to Murray through the spokeswoman went unanswered.

A spokeswoman for the Health Minister said the i ssue had been flagged with Coleman’s office.