Will Hipkins sack Campbell

Radio NZ reports:

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has declined to express confidence in the chair of Te Whatu Ora/Health NZ Rob Campbell after he made “inappropriate” political comments online.

In a LinkedIn post over the week, Campbell – who also chairs the Environmental Protection Authority – lambasted the National Party’s Three Waters policy as a thinly disguised “dog whistle on co-governance”.

He went on to target National’s leader, writing: “Christopher Luxon might be able to rescue his party from stupidity on climate change but rescuing this from a well he has dug himself might be harder.”

Under the Public Service Commission’s code of conduct, directors of crown entities must act in a politically impartial manner.

Speaking at a media conference on Monday afternoon, Hipkins told reporters Campbell’s comments were “inappropriate” and “fell well outside” the code of conduct.

“Some of the public commentary that he has made steps well outside of the politically neutral stance that we would expect,” Hipkins said.

“Ministers responsible will be raising [that] with him.”

Asked directly whether he had confidence in Campbell, Hipkins said: “There’s a process [to work through]”.

Campbell seems to think he is special, and the rules don’t apply to him. It’s not only the original attack on Luxon (where he implied the Leader of the Opposition is racist) but he then defended his comments 100% and said he stood by them and had done nothing wrong.

And this is not the holder of some minor office, but the person basically in charge of the entire health system.