Blue Jackie: Official Information (Openness of District Health Boards New Zealand) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Blue Jackie: Official Information (Openness of District Health Boards New Zealand) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:641;Page:11187] 
Dr JACKIE BLUE (National) 
: 
 I move  
That the Official Information (Openness of District Health Boards New Zealand) Amendment Bill be now read a second time 
. I am delighted to rise to speak to the second reading of this bill. 
This bill has been considered in the Health Committee and I am pleased to report was not a contentious bill at any point. As the records show it was passed unanimously at the first reading. It was only the Labour Party that gave qualified support—not guaranteeing support beyond the Health Committee. The Health Committee considered nine submissions and heard two oral submissions—from the New Zealand Medical Association and HealthCare Providers New Zealand. All submissions were in support of the bill. 
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Official Information Act 1982 so that any entity representing one or more district health boards such as District Health Boards New Zealand would be subject to the Official Information Act. There had been growing concerns among the health sector that District Health Boards New Zealand—which represents the 21 district health boards—has been making decisions that impact on all New Zealanders but the public have not been able to find out what this group does or how it functions because it is not subject to the Official Information Act. 
District Health Boards New Zealand is funded by taxpayers’ money through its contributions from the 21 district health boards and it has been an anomaly that this organisation has been exempt from the Official Information Act when other organisations that are funded by taxpayers’ money are subject to it. The purpose of this bill was to bring accountability and transparency to the organisation. District Health Boards New Zealand has been functioning outside our constitutional situation. It is clear from the submissions that many many people have been frustrated by District Health Boards New Zealand’s lack of accountability. 
We had an oral submission from the New Zealand Medical Association which supported the bill. It suggested that the organisation possibly be disbanded. The New Zealand Medical Association has been concerned for some time about the role of District Health Boards New Zealand which it felt was increasingly taking on coordination and operational policy functions that should more appropriately be carried out by the Ministry of Health. The former chairman of the New Zealand Medical Association called District Health Boards New Zealand a private club for the district health boards and said it was time that the organisation was absorbed back into the ministry. 
The bill also had the support of HealthCare Providers New Zealand. This organisation said the existing situation was an anomaly that chipped away at our constitutional framework. The organisation also felt that it was high time that consistency was maintained by having District Health Boards New Zealand brought under the Official Information Act principles which are based around the belief that information be made available unless there is a good reason to withhold it. 
Researchers have been frustrated by the results of official information requests. They often have to make 21 separate Official Information Act requests to the district health boards to get a complete picture of the health sector. They cannot request the information from District Health Boards New Zealand because the organisation is outside the Official Information Act. To make 21 district health board Official Information Act requests is incredibly time-consuming and frustrating particularly if the Ombudsman is involved. It is slow and frustrating for all concerned and there is no guarantee that the information will be forthcoming. The district health boards in turn often protest that in having to answer the requests themselves their staff are taken away from their core business and roles. By bringing District Health Boards New Zealand under the Official Information Act information is obtained directly and expediently and district health board staff are not sidetracked from their own work. 
All the submitters made excellent points and after the submissions were considered the committee was advised that the Government agreed with the bill. As a result the Governor-General has signed an Order in Council to amend schedule 1 of the Ombudsmen Act to ensure that District Health Boards New Zealand is subject to the complaints jurisdiction of the Ombudsman and this will take effect on 3 September. 
I am absolutely delighted that the Government saw the light. It realised that it did not have the numbers to defeat the bill and it agreed with the intentions of the bill. As a result of the Government’s agreeing to this bill and agreeing that an Order in Council be made this bill is no longer required and the National Party takes great pleasure in voting it down. Thank you.