Why DHB elections should be abolished

The Herald reports:

An alphabetical listing of candidates appears to have helped drive a clean-out of the Auckland District Health Board.

Five of the seven elected members of the new board have surnames that start with A, B or C – and consequently were listed near the top of voting forms.

This is in line with formal studies of DHB results previously. The reality is that as almost no media attention is given to DHB meetings, there is no information available for people to make intelligent informed choices for DHB elections. It is a lottery – where your surname can be the most important factor.

Combine that with the fact that DHBs have little power – the central Government provides the funding, the priorities and the policies, and it really is a cruel farce.