Hawkes Bay DHB and Annette King
The HoS has an in depth article into issues around the Hawkes Bay DHB, the then Health Minister Annette King, and her husband Ray Lind.
Salient points are:
* In May 2005 the HB DHB decides to contract out community services, and Healthcare of NZ Ltd is one of ten providers who bid for the contract.
* A month later Annette King appointed Peter Hausmann to the HB DHB, without following the Ministry guidelines for appointments which includes “due diligence” and and an interview where issues such as conflicts of interest are discussed. He is the part-owner and director of Healthcare of NZ Ltd.
* Hausmann’s company was tendering for a contract to provide community services in Hawkes Bay worth between $20m and $50m. Hausmann gave the board an assurance he would not be involved in the contract process.
* Hausmann (a DHB member) and a senior DHB manager exchanged e-mails discussing details of the process for the multi-million dollar contract which Hausmann’s company company was bidding for, including the terms of reference for the tender
* A whistleblower brought this to the attention of the Board Chair and the full Board accepts her disclosure under the Protected Disclosures Act.
* She (the whistleblower) alleges COO Ray Lind (King’s husband) threatened her by saying Management had power in terms of her future job security and that she has breached internal procedures despite beign granted protected whistleblower status by the Board.
* The whistleblower’s job was killed off in a restructure but she got an out of court payment to settle her claim of constructive dismissal.
* Lind now works for Hausmann in his Healthcare of NZ Ltd company
One has to ask why Annette King broke her own Ministry’s procedures to appoint without consultation someone with such a huge conflict of interest. It is bad enough that people with conflicts can get elected to the DHBs, but the Govt appointees especially should not be adding to the problem.
Pete Hodgson has said there will be an inquiry into what happened, but it will in no way be independent. The person appointed to inquire is another DHB Chair, which is a direct Ministerial appointee. How on earth can one expect someone appointed and holding office at the pleasure of the Minister, to investigate accusations involving the former Minister? It’s a sham.