Commissioner and committees

On 7 May 2019 the Minister of Health announced the replacement of the Waikato District Health Board members (both elected and appointed) with a commissioner. Read the background to this announcement. The intent is to return to an elected board in 2022.

Details of committees and meeting dates will change following the appointment of the Commissioner. This page will be updated accordingly.

Commissioner

Dr Karen Poutasi

Deputy commissioners

Dr Andrew Connolly
Chad Paraone
Prof Margaret Wilson

Meetings

Every month the Commissioner and her deputies hold a Commissioners’ meeting which meets confidentially. A Finance, Risk and Audit Committee has been established which will also meets confidentially on a monthly basis.

The Finance Risk and Audit Committee has an independent Chair, Ms Debbie Chin. Ms Chin has been a chief executive in the New Zealand health sector and in Australia and also served as Board Monitor for a time at Capital and Coast DHB.

The requirement for the Waikato DHB to establish a Hospitals Advisory Committee, Community and Public Health Advisory Committee and Disability Support Advisory Committee continues under the Commissioner. Meetings of the three committees will occur every second month starting in October 2019. The Disability Support Advisory Committee meeting agenda will be incorporated into that of the Community and Public Health Advisory Committee meeting.

The public are invited to attend these meetings although part of each agenda may be dealt with, with the public excluded. The meetings will be publicly notified in accordance with legislation.