Ian Powell: Control style of Health NZ makes CEO position ineffective

Relationship issues and organisational structure are thought to be contributing factors to Health NZ CEO Margie Apa's resignation. 

She's left the job six months early - saying a different leadership approach is needed. 

Health commentator Ian Powell says Apa's relationship with Health Commissioner Lester Levy was untenable. 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, Health New Zealand Chief Executive, Margie Appa, has resigned.
Her tenure was meant to end in June, but she
says she wants to step down now to make space
for new leadership. Margie's relationship with Health Commissioner Lester Levy
was reportedly quite fraught, and at one point he directly
clashed with her over proposal to cut frontline staff. Health
New Zealand have declined to make anyone available for an

(00:22):
interview today. In Powell is a health commentator. Hi, end
thanks for your time.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
It's a pleasure.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Why do you think Margie is leaving early?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
I think there was no other option. Really, the situation
has become untenable Health New Zealand largely through its own design,
or rather the design of the health restructuring that led
to its formation, which is very clumsy, very poor, but
also its leadership has got into a lot of them,

(00:58):
you know, has credibility within the health workforce and with
the wider public. And it also it is quite dysfunctional,
and now we have a commissioner that sees things quite differently,
or rather as attributing a lot of this to the
chief executive. Now some of that is justified, and some

(01:19):
of that is overstated, but nevertheless, he has bagged her
publicly and he's made it clear that she's willing. She's willing,
She's fine to apply for the position when it comes,
when it's being advertised at the moment, but she won't
get it.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
Does the new Health Minister have anything to do with this?
Do you think?

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Probably? I don't know, but probably not. I think this
has been shapping out to be to come to a
head like this before he was appointed.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Is there an obvious candidate to replace her.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Well, it's not immediately clear and I don't want to
comment on individuals. There will be Dale Bramley, who is
an experienced chief executive of DHB. He's a public health
specialist and he's been working for Health's innuty Photo Aura
since it's a creation in July twenty twenty two, as

(02:21):
a logical choice to be the acting chief executive. But
other than that, I think I don't want to think
second guess that too much. There will be a lot
of people on the health system who have a lot
of relevant experience who would not touch it with a
barge pole because of its it's poor reputation.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
That's disappointing to hear. Isn't it Merging all the DHBs
into one was never going to be easy, was it?
In how would you rate Margie's tenure?

Speaker 2 (02:49):
Then, Oh, that's a difficult question. I've known Margie Oupa
for a long time and I've had very high regards
for her. I've known her when she was in the
Minister Free of Health and towards the end of my
pome representing senior doctors. She became the chief executive for
Country's Monaco DHV and she was at least initially a

(03:13):
breath of freshier there. I think that she I thought
she was a good appointment, but I think she has
been over wonte whelmed by a poorly construct poorly constructed legislation,
and she has inherited a system that when you vertically
centralize on the way as this has been done, it
lends itself to a command and controlled culture. I was

(03:36):
hoping that she would be able to push back on that,
but she hasn't. That she's become part of it. So
I'm sad to say that she is not the cause
of Health New Zealand strife, but she has not been
part of a solution, and she has contributed to that
slight that strife in PAL.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
Thank you so much for your time today. That was
in Pal Health Commentator. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,
listen live to News Talks at B from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio