King Annette: New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Southern DHB) Elections Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeKing Annette: New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Southern DHB) Elections Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 10 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:10947. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour): I thank Minister Jonathan Coleman for his comments in reply. The Minister of Health has said that he does not believe that the amendment that I have put forward for a postponement instead of cancellation of the 2016 election would be possible that there is no legal ability to do that. I presume that was the advice that he was receiving from officials just a few moments ago. It would be interesting to see exactly what that advice is based on—because the suggestion was that you put in place an Order in Council—and why that would not be a mechanism that could be used. It would be interesting—I do not know whether we will have time Minister tonight but you might be able to reply to me in writing.If the Minister is not prepared to accept an amendment is he prepared to use the “Tony Ryall mechanism” which I outlined in my contribution? The “Tony Ryall mechanism” was used at Hawke’s Bay District Health Board where he turned the commissioner into the chair of the board and then appointed the former elected members as a governance board. Would the Minister consider that because if there is no legal mechanism as the Minister said for my amendment there was obviously no need to have a legal mechanism for the Tony Ryall approach? It was possible for the Minister to make that decision and to appoint whomever he liked to the board in place of an elected board and he chose to reappoint former elected members. Would the Minister consider that as another mechanism?But before that Minister could you set out your expectations of the commissioners. You said it could take up to the 3 years—in fact it is more like 3½ years—before they actually would have finished their work. There must be a work plan that the Ministry of Health and the Minister are working to—a work plan of what exactly your expectations are for the commissioners and what is needed to be achieved before there would be satisfaction for there to be an election in 2019. The Minister said that he thought that it would take right up to 2019 to achieve it so there must be a plan.There must be expectations and I ask the Minister—he cannot do it tonight obviously—whether he would be prepared to provide the Health Committee which took the New Zealand Public Health and Disability (Southern DHB) Elections Bill very seriously and listened to the advice that we received and worked very well on the bill with his expectations and the time frame that he has put on the commissioners so that we can actually measure that progress. I think that would give a lot of comfort to those who were worried—that actually there is a plan going forward there are expectations and that the Minister himself will be monitoring what these commissioners do along the way. If the Minister was able to do that I think that would be progress indeed.There is just one other issue that I would like to mention and that is the issue of transparency. One of the changes we did try to get—we talked about it at the select committee; we suggested a change that wrote it into the bill—was greater transparency. Under advice and looking at it we decided that it probably was not possible because already under the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act the commissioners are required to establish statutory advisory committees; they have to make meetings agendas reports and minutes publicly available; and they must publicly notify meetings and the opportunity be given to the public to attend.I think what worried the select committee was that at the time that we were hearing the submissions the commissioners had made no attempt for that to happen even though they were commissioners and they are required under the Act for that to happen. It did not occur until after it was raised at the select committee. On 28 April the commissioners announced that they were now going to hold these statutory committees in public. Minister we would be keen to ensure—and I am sure that I could say the select committee would be keen to ensure—that that transparency and openness continues because that is the way that the commissioners will build trust and faith with the people of the southern district. If there is openness and honesty and they have the ability to see what is being done on their behalf—and I have to say there is a high level of suspicion that has built up down there—and if the Minister could keep his foot on the commissioners to be as open as possible in the sharing of information that I think would be a great help in alleviating some of the concerns that were raised at the select committee.