Mark RonHon RON MARK (Minister of Defence): Thank you Mr Speaker. I'm not really sure how much more New Zealand First can add to the debate this evening on the New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Waikato DHB) Elections Bill. The main points that we noted and our caucus considered were—and I have to thank the Health Committee for the work that they have done the report that they have provided. But clearly what the Minister is faced with here from our perspective is an under-performing under-resourced health board that has been digging itself deeper and deeper into a deficit hole. I do note from one of the Minister's answers to a question this afternoon in question time when he was asked how much longer it is going to take to turn things around that he did say that it's not possible to turn around nine years of previous governance in a short space of 18 months.I thank the Opposition for their support for the Government in passing this legislation. I note that this is just another example of some of the challenges that the Minister is facing. That the board in 2017-18 should be reporting a deficit of $37.2 million forecasting $56.1 million for the 2018-19 fiscal year with increasing deficit forecasts in future years was clearly a matter of concern. Ongoing performance issues with clinical services was clearly a matter of grave concern and their inability to recruit a permanent chief executive I think would probably have been a bit of a final nail in the coffin from the Minister's perspective.Having served on three district health boards (DHBs) myself appointed by the Hon Tony Ryall as a Government appointee I know the challenges and the difficulties. I know from first-hand experience sometimes there are complications that are injected into the governance structure through people who are elected but who do not necessarily bring with them the commensurate skills necessary to operate at such a level. I think this is a challenge and when we discuss—and New Zealand First has in the past expressed its concerns about the removal of boards and the appointment of commissioners. We have like those submitters who submitted to the committee expressed our concerns around the loss of democracy. I think sometimes the reality is that at some times boards simply display an inability to do effectively that which they are charged to do.At that point in time in the interests of public safety in the interests of public health and in the interests of being able to deliver good health services in a sustainable way within the budget levels that are set by the Government we have to take steps such as this. It is regretful. It is not something that we want to do or that we do without a considerable amount of thought. Removing the democratic right of a community to elect its health board is something that New Zealand First believes in but when that board gets itself into strife and continually demonstrates that it's unable to extricate itself from that then the Crown cannot sit by and let those matters go unchecked. So it's with regret that we accept it is necessary to pass this legislation and to support our Minister of Health as he seeks to place Commissioner Dr Karen Poutasi a previous Director-General of Health in the position in the hope that she will turn the DHB around. We note that this is a three-year suspension and that the intention is that there will be elections in 2022. We are hopeful and indeed confident that Dr Karen Poutasi will be able to achieve those targets and those goals. I do note—from listening to Dr Reti's submission—with some satisfaction that this will be a fiscally neutral transaction in terms of standing the board down and paying the commissioner and deputy commissioner to do the work. If it turns out to be fiscally neutral that's a good thing. Like I said it's regretful and it is a sad turn of events and in the normal course of events New Zealand First would be uncomfortable. But this has to be done and we accept that. On that basis New Zealand First supports this bill.