Simeon Brown: New Health Minister on the Cabinet reshuffle and updated portfolio

Simeon Brown is making his priorities clear as he prepares to take over as Health Minister.

The portfolio has moved from Dr Shane Reti to Brown, moving Reti out of his fourth place in the National Party rankings. 

Brown indicated the targets bought in by Reti show things are beginning to stabilise but said "we really need to focus on delivery." 

He joins the show to discuss what he will bring to his new role. 

LISTEN ABOVE. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Prime Minister has turfed out his health qualified. Health
Minister Shane Retty is gone. Simeon Brown is in this
based off his performance as Transport and Local Government Minister.
Simeon Brown, the new Health Minister, is with me this morning. Minister.
Congratulations or I guess commiserations, depending on how you look
at it.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Thank you appreciate that.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Lester Levy. Are you going to keep him on?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Oh? Look, I'm meeting with him this morning. He's coming
down to We're meeting Wellington. I'm heading down there now.
He's been brought in to do a job, which is
to make sure that we get a health system delivering.
That's my focus as mister making sure it's delivering quality
and timely access to health caref all New Zealanders. That's
the focus that I've been given from the Prime Minister
and that's what I'll be making very clear to doctor Lester.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
So it's not making the progress you need right now.
Does that mean that he's gone too Well?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
I think what we've seen from the health targets which
doctor Shane ready brought back in, we are starting to
see some of those things Stave liners. But there is
so much more work to do. So we need to
see New Zealand's getting through ed's emergence departments faster access
to their GPS sooner. Elective wait times have started to reduce,
but we need to see those reduced a lot further.

(01:10):
So those are the priorities I've got as Minister of
Health and that's what I'll be focused with it. Where
it's the Ministry of Health with its Health New Zealand,
when you have whole system.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Delivering, do you have confidence in him to do that?

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Look are we meeting with doctor Lester Leby. He's been
given a job, he is in that job to them
this year. But I need the whole system to be
focused on delivery. That is going to be the simple
and clear message. Whether it's the Ministry of Health, Health
New Zealand, the whole system focused on delivery for all
New Zealanders.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Does you don't pick the heads of to futter order
or the ministry itself? He does? Do you want him?
Will you put pressure on him to make changes at
the top there?

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Well, there is change happening regardless of my understanding. Is
the term of the current Chief Executive of Health New
Zealand is coming to an end shortly they're going through
a recruitment process. Yes, that'll be one of the things
that we'll be discussing today. I want to make sure
that the people leading that organization are ruthlessly focused on
delivery and all those targets this government has has set

(02:11):
and New Zealanders can get access to quality and timely healthcare.
That's what they need, That's what I want. What about that,
I want the people.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
In charge of doing What about Marjorie Order.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Well, her term means are shortly and they are going
to a recruitment for for a new CE and we'll
be talking about that with doctors Levy later day.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
The Waikato Medical School gone by lunchtime.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Oh, look, there's a lot of issues. I haven't been
fully briefed. I'm heading to Wellington now that are we
One of the issues will be getting up to speed
with overcoming weeks. There's big cabinet decisions that will be
made and once those decisions are made, we will be
announcing those. But look, a lot of issues I need
to get my head around and stay focused and get
really focused on. But number one focus is making sure
all New Zealanders can access to that quality and time

(02:55):
healthcare that they need.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
Have you spoken to Shane?

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yes, I did. I had a good chat to doctor Shane.
You so we're actually really good friends. I have a
huge amount of respect for him. He's worked incredibly hard
and diligently in this portfolio, put in places of foundations.
But now we need to really focus on delivery and
h he's a ready committed to making sure he works
to give me a good handover as well, which I
really appreciate.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
I'm hearing a lot of your back benches are getting
a bit angsty with Luxeon that they're starting to talk
and talk quite loudly. What's your message to them after that,
particularly after that pole that had you in the twenties.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
Well, look, not at all. I think the reality is
where as a team, the whole caucus is focused on delivery.
When the Zealanders that's what we're focused on. It's what
you said reshuffles about making sure we're focus on economic growth,
getting public and getting healthcare on track. Focus on delivery.
That's this year and it's all about and the Prime
Minister is very clear and that message comes from the
top and all the way down and holds things focused

(03:50):
on that.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
Unions they're going to be your big battle, your real
big battle, and they insist as a hiring freezon the
hospital sector right now is there.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Look I haven't met fully briefed, but ve all say, Look,
I'm not a union organization organizer, I'm not from the sector.
I'm just focused on making sure New Zealanders can get
access to the timely, quality health care that they need.
That's my focus. Those are the conversations I'm having with
unions when we meet at some point. You know, how
can we make sure New Zealanders can get access to
the quality and timely health care that they need. That's

(04:20):
the number one focus and the whole system needs to
be focused on that.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
All right, minister, thank you very much for your time.
That is the new Health Minister, Simeon Brown. It's not
an easy job. It's probably the hardest ministry in government.
You've got eighty thousand employees that work for TOFATO order.
Did you know how many employees it is? That is
more than Fletcher's woolworst from Terror, the warehouse in New
Zealand and Kmart combined, and most of them are union members.

(04:46):
It's an absolute nightmare, especially for a national MP. So
good luck, I mean there's a lot of work to do,
so I he'll be getting stuck in This morning, he said,
it's meeting with Lester Levy. For more from the mic
Asking Breakfast, Listen live to news talks that'd be from
six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio