Happy Hawke’s Bay Health Board

Tony Ryall has delivered a nice win-win on the issue of the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board. Letting the judicial review continue of the sacking by David Cunliffe would have been costly. It would have been tempting to let it continue though as the local Councils would have almost beyond doubt won a ruling that the sacking was illegal, and the evidence would have been very embarrassing to the former Minister.

But more important was to move forward and the decision to transform Sir John Anderson from Commissioner to Board Chair, and reappoint the Board Members who were elected in 2007. This means it is not just going back to the past, but using the skills also of Sir John and his team.