Former Te Whatu Ora board member says Christopher Luxon’s claims are false

Dr Curtis Walker said criticism of the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s board’s competence was an excuse to disband it.
photo: RNZ/Karen Brown

A former Te Whatu Ora board member says the government’s allegations that board members lack financial literacy are unfair and are being used as an excuse to sack the board.

First According to New Zealand doctorsDr. Curtis Walker, a kidney specialist and former medical board chairman, said criticism of the board’s competence was “an excuse to appoint commissioners, which I don’t think is justified.”

The board of directors was dissolved. Dr. Lester Levy takes over as Commissioner Early last week.

The shift follows a scathing assessment of its performance by senior government officials.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon this week Reiterate the claim Health Minister Dr Shane Reti said the Ministry of Health lacked financial controls and had “no good understanding or appreciation of cash flow analysis”.

“The lack of awareness and financial literacy on the board … not being able to understand the financial situation is a huge problem,” he said.

But Walker said these claims are false information, just like Luxon previously claimed there were “14 layers of management” between patients and the CEOnot true.

Premier Christopher Luxon said he wanted the government and the board to understand what was actually happening inside his body.
photo: RNZ/Reece Baker

Reti’s office later provided a list of management layers, 14 of which included not only the chairman, the board, the CEO and his chief of staff, but also the patients and the “team members” — the doctors or nurses — themselves.

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Luxon did not directly respond to reporters’ questions about Walker’s rebuttal on Wednesday.

Instead, he responded: “What I will say is that I am here to deliver better health outcomes for New Zealanders and I am fully focused on that and I will make sure that I do everything I can to improve the governance of the Ministry of Health in New Zealand in the future.”

Asked to respond to Walker’s claim that the government’s demands on the previous board were unfair, he said: “I look forward to the outcome and I want management and the board to understand what happened in those entities.”

Walker said when the board became aware of the deficit in March, members began asking the same questions as the commissioners.