ATTENTION: HEALTH REPORTER NO. OF PAGES: 1
MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
TUESDAY 12 AUGUST 2003
“Auckland DHB Should Get Its Own House In Order First”
“The Auckland District Health Board should get its own house in order before trying to organise a partial merger with
its two neighbouring boards, Waitemata and Counties Manukau,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association
of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. Mr Powell was responding to the call for a partial merger from the newly
appointed Auckland DHB chief executive Garry Smith.
“The Auckland District Health Board is suffering a crisis of leadership largely due to the destructive behaviour of the
Board’s chair Wayne Brown, who appears to have had an AK47 permanently implanted into his mouth, and an entrenched
autocratic managerial culture.”
“In contrast to Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau are relatively well led. Who would be so cruel as to export
Auckland’s leadership crisis to its neighbours?”
“The solution to Auckland’s crisis rests with the government who appointed Mr Brown. The longer he continues in his
position, the longer he continues to undermine the government’s credibility among the public and health professionals.”
“Keeping Mr Brown in office is as logical as asking panel-beaters to design traffic intersections,” concluded Mr Powell.
Ian Powell
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR