Health Minister, Shane Reti, has welcomed the appointment of four highly-experienced health leaders to roles as regional Deputy Chief Executives at Health New Zealand.
“The last Government’s botched health reforms removed local leadership from our health system, resulting in layers of bureaucracy and a disconnection from the frontline,” says Dr Reti.
“Now we’re committed to bringing back local leadership and accountability, and the appointment of four regional Deputy Chief Executives at Health NZ reflects that.”
The four new Deputy Chief Executives and their respective regions are:
- Mark Shepherd (pictured, left) – Northern | Te Tai Tokerau
- Catherine Cronin (pictured, right) – Midland | Te Manawa Taki
- Robyn Shearer – Central | Ikaroa
- Martin Keogh – South Island | Te Waipounamu
They will begin in their roles progressively from 19 August to 16 September 2024.
The new Deputy Chief Executives will hold budgets and accountability for their regional hospital services and the health services we fund others to provide.
“What health services are delivered in each region, how and where they are delivered and by whom will be informed by clinical leadership and be responsive to local and regional stakeholder input and feedback,” said Health NZ Chief Executive, Margie Apa.
“In appointing to these roles, I was looking for people with leadership experience in health service delivery, who could integrate a financial and non-financial picture of operations and engage clinical and people leadership through change. They also needed a strong commitment to improving the experience of patients, whānau and communities.
“I look forward to working with these new Deputy Chief Executives and supporting our teams to deliver the kind of health outcomes I know we all want for New Zealanders.”
Key performance indicators include a significant uplift in achieving National Health Targets, including Mental Health Targets, and getting expenditure back to budget.
“These appointments represent a welcome next step in our efforts to reset Health NZ. They’ll move us closer towards ensuring New Zealanders get the healthcare they need in the shortest time possible, enabling the delivery of much more healthcare within the resources we have, and making sure every contact New Zealanders have with our services is compassionate,” says Health NZ Commissioner Lester Levy.
“As a Government, we’ve made it clear that our first and foremost priority is delivering better public services for New Zealanders – particularly in health,” said Minister Reti.
“Appointing regional Deputy Chief Executives is an early step to turn things around at Health NZ and to get Kiwis and their loved ones the health care they deserve.”
