20 Nov 2011

Labour questions appointment of health board

7:12 pm on 20 November 2011

The Labour Party is questioning the appointment of a new health board during the election campaign.

Last Thursday, the National-led Government announced the members of the board that will oversee the establishment of a new health promotion agency.

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The agency will replace the Alcohol Advisory Council and the Health Sponsorship Council.

Labour's health spokesperson Grant Robertson says there is a convention that no important appointments are made during an election campaign.

"There's obvious reasons for that, because we don't know what the outcome of the election will be.

"Looking at this appointment, it's a new board, it's setting up a major new agency and I would question whether or not this crosses the line for appointments that shouldn't be made in a pre-election period."

The members on the Health Promotion Agency Establishment Board are: Dr Lee Mathias (chair) the deputy chair of the Auckland DHB; Food and Grocery Council chief executive Katherine Rich; public health expert Professor Grant Schofield; Health Sponsorship Council chair Hayden Wano and Alcohol Advisory Council chair Rea Wikaira.

The election will be held on Saturday, 26 November.