Heather Roy's Diary - Central Control
act-new-zealand
Fri Aug 31 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Heather Roy's Diary - Central Control
Friday, 31 August 2007, 11:59 am
Column: ACT New Zealand
Heather Roy's Diary
Central Control Masquerading As Regional Responsibility
District Health Board elections are held alongside local body elections every three years - 2007 is an election year and postal voting closes on 13 October.
Nominations for the coming District Health Board elections closed at noon last Friday with a record low of just 428 candidates - almost 100 fewer than in the 2004 elections, and a total of 657 fewer than in 2001.
Given the supposed role of DHBs - ensuring the delivery of quality healthcare for their respective communities - one could be forgiven for wondering why fewer and fewer people are interested in a job that, in essence, would allow them to provide for the well-being of their friends and neighbours.
To find the answer to such questions, however, one need look no further than those to whom DHB members must answer: their political masters in the Beehive.
The fact is that DHB candidates are passionate, skilled and well-meaning people who put their names forward in the belief that they will be able to make a meaningful contribution to their community, under the mistaken belief that they will be representing their local population.
Likewise, the voting public is under the same allusion - voters assume they are voting for the people that will represent them and their health needs. Once the elections are over, however, reality comes crashing down.
At their first DHB meeting, newly-elected and appointed members are informed of the real purpose of their role: that of towing the government line. They're informed that their first duty is to implement the health policies of the Government.
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
As such Boardmembers have no financial flexibility, little or no power to speak of, and - strive as they might within their constraints - are able to make little meaningful difference for their community. Little can be achieved without Health Ministry approval, and Boardmembers are discouraged from making any public statements - even when they feel there are genuine problems and issues to be addressed. There have been several high profile instances of Boardmembers being publicly chastised for 'speaking out of turn'.
Thus does the Labour-led Government maintain its illusion of public health being a regional responsibility when, in fact, it is actually under central control.
The illusion, however, is wearing thin. The public is becoming increasingly aware that these elections are phoney and meaningless - for all their efforts, DHBs are forced into becoming puppets of the Labour-led Government.
It is for this reason that hardly anyone wants to sit on a DHB, and why Christchurch surgeon and former Canterbury DHB member Philip Bagshaw has predicted a low voter turnout in the coming elections: no one wants to be involved in helping Labour to maintain its charade.
So what is the answer? At the very least, public health should be a truly regional responsibility - with DHBs able to do the job that they were elected by the public to do. But, given that everyone now knows that the elections are completely phoney, the least Health Minister Pete Hodgson could do is admit that he is in total control of the DHBs. It won't be long before there is no one putting their name forward to sit on DHBs anyway - the Minister might as well come clean and give the nation a bit of honesty as a first step. Waning enthusiasm for standing for a DHB will, no doubt, be mirrored by waning enthusiasm for voting. Boycotting this phoney election would send the Government a message that would be hard to ignore.
Or perhaps it is time to take a long hard look at why we have District Health Boards at all, when it is the Minister and the Health Ministry that call the shots. Phoney elections for phoney democratic boards have done nothing to improve Kiwis' access to healthcare - instead they use precious health dollars that should be spent on hip replacements and heart surgery.
Super Gold ... Or Fool's Gold? Disappointment was also in the air for the nation's elderly this week when Associate Senior Citizens Minister Winston Peters launched his highly-touted Super Gold card (and his election campaign?) - part of a New Zealand First pledge, at the 2005 election, to provide senior citizens with tangible financial benefits.
The Super Gold card - which includes concessions and business discounts for senior citizens and war veterans - now replaces senior citizens' NZ Super and Community Services cards.
Launched on August 30 the card wasn't as well-received as originally predicted, with at least one journalist looking to run the angle of the Minister 'promising much, but delivering little'.
It appears that this journalist has hit the nail on the head. With only 188 businesses nationwide signed up to provide cardholders with discounts, and no discounts on electricity - as expected by many Grey Power members - the Super Gold card seems to be little more than a watered-down version of a 'Fly Bys' card'.
It will be interesting to see whether Mr Peters' prediction of more businesses joining up will come true - or whether senior citizens would have been better off keeping their NZ Super and Community Services cards.
Former PM Has Moore To Say Former Labour Prime Minister Mike Moore sallied forth this week with an article in the 'NZ Herald' (www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c\_id=49&objectid=10460368) in which he compared Helen Clark with Sir Robert Muldoon.
Citing the "politics of personal destruction" and Miss Clark's ruthless control of her caucus, Mike Moore drew direct parallels between the Prime Minister and Muldoon.
Given that this must have most irksome for the Prime Minister - who, it is said, likes to compare herself more with Sir Keith Holyoake - there wasn't much of a counter-attack. In fact, it is interesting to note that Jim Anderton - he of the very small caucus - was the only Government Minister to leap to the PM's defence.
ENDS
Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}
Using Scoop for work?
Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.
Join Pro Individual Find out more
Find more from ACT New Zealand on InfoPages.