Health NZ's Executive Governance Team knows Next to Nothing about Health-care

The Prime Minister obviously knows little about health-care. Its not his thing, which is more marketing. So he appointed a new Minister of Health, Simeon Brown, to fill that gap in his knowledge. Only problem is that Brown is a lawyer. Never fear. His predecessor had brought in a new Health Commissioner, Lester Levy, to shake things up. Levy taught "leadership" to business students on our MBA program, as an Adjunct. He's shortly about to step down as Commissioner. Never fear. To exercise "leadership", Levy brought in Deputy Commissioners to help him run Health NZ. One was Roger Jarrold, an accountant. Never fear. He was joined as a Deputy by Kylie Clegg, a lawyer. Never fear. A new Director General of Health & Chief Executive of the Ministry of Health has just been appointed, Audrey Sonerson. She oversees an Executive Governance Team. Surely she must know a thing or two about health-care? Do not get too excited. She was CEO of the Transport Ministry, Secretary of Transport and once studied some economics.

The guy who appointed Sonerson, State Services Commissioner Roche, is an accountant. He was Chair of NZ's Transport Agency, which gives us traffic tickets. His Deputy is former Spook Rebecca Kitteridge, a lawyer. Never fear. There must be someone running Health NZ who knows something about health-care? Don't bet on it. There are ten people on new CEO of Health NZ Sorenson's Executive Governance Team. Nine out of that ten are not doctors. I can find just one, a young chap called Andrew Old. The PM & Finance Minister have done nothing to shake up the inbred culture of Wellington's civil service. All the talk about the need for innovation & restoring NZ's mojo, yet its the same types in charge. Career bureaucrats from law, accounting & communications backgrounds - or with vague experience in "culture management", whatever that is. No wonder our doctors & nurses are trying to save our health system, not helped by, but in spite of their [censored] bosses.