Strong interest in District Health Board elections

24 August 2007

Media Release
For immediate use

Strong interest in District Health Board elections

Nearly 430 nominations have been received for this year's District Health Board (DHB) elections.

Nominations for the elections closed at midday today (Friday 24 August) and each of the 21 DHBs had received between 13 and 35 nominations for the seven elected positions available on each board.

The Ministry of Health's DHB Governance Manager Dr Bruce Anderson said there had been interest in the elections from all sectors of the community.

"Some DHBs have received more nominations than the last elections and some have received less but overall interest is high this year," he says.

"Around two-thirds of existing board members are also seeking re-election, which will make for a closely contested race," he adds.

"It's great to see candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds putting themselves forward for the election from communities around the districts."

DHB elections are held under the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, where voters rank their desired candidates in order of preference. Instead of putting a tick beside candidates' names, voters put a number.

The elections also use 'at-large' structures, where voters are able to express a preference for every candidate who stands for their board. DHB elections are held by postal vote at the same time as local government elections.

Voting packs will be posted out to all registered electors from 21 September and voting papers must be returned and in the hands of the DHB's electoral officer by midday on Saturday 13 October.

For more information visit www.yourdhb.org.nz

CANDIDATE NUMBERS (as at 12 noon today):
DHB Total
NORTHLAND 16
WAITEMATA 22
AUCKLAND 26
COUNTIES MANUKAU 33
WAIKATO 26
LAKES 15
BAY OF PLENTY 20
TAIRAWHITI 19
TARANAKI 18
HAWKE'S BAY 18
WHANGANUI 23
MIDCENTRAL 14
HUTT 20
CAPITAL AND COAST 21
WAIRARAPA 14
NELSON MARLBOROUGH 20
WEST COAST 24
CANTERBURY 35
SOUTH CANTERBURY 13
OTAGO 13
SOUTHLAND 18
TOTAL: 428

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a District Health Board?
District Health Boards (DHBs) are responsible for providing, or funding the provision of, health and disability services in their districts. There are 21 DHBs in New Zealand and each DHB is governed by a board.

What is the role of a DHB board?
The board of a DHB’s role is one of stewardship, direction-setting and monitoring the DHB’s overall performance against its goals. It is not one of day-to-day management (which is the domain of the Chief Executive).

The board also has no role in employment decisions, beyond appointing the Chief Executive. By law, the board cannot interfere in matters relating to individual employees.

The board has all powers necessary for the governance and management of the DHB. However, the board must delegate to the DHB’s Chief Executive the power to make decisions on management matters relating to the DHB. This delegation may be made on such terms and conditions as the board thinks fit.

How are boards made up?
Each DHB board consists of seven elected members, and up to a further four members appointed by the Minister of Health. This structure allows for a range of perspectives, skills and knowledge on each DHB board. The Minister of Health also appoints a chair and deputy chair for each board from among the board’s elected and appointed members.

Are board members paid for their work?
Yes. Board members are paid an annual fee for their service on the board, and fee levels vary from DHB to DHB (depending on the size and assessed complexity of the DHB). Fees currently range from $16,000 to $26,000 per annum. The board chair and deputy chair receive a higher fee. Board members are paid an additional annual fee of up to $2,500 for each statutory advisory committee they are a member of. Members serving on some other committees (eg, audit, risk and finance committee) also receive an additional annual fee. Members are covered for reasonable expenses associated with board and committee business, such as travel costs.

Who are board members responsible to?
While most board members are elected by the public, all board members (both elected and appointed) are directly responsible and accountable to the Minister of Health. This is because DHBs are funded by the Government, using taxpayer dollars. It is acknowledged though that elected members provide an important community voice on DHB boards.

Board decision-making is highly transparent. Meetings, agendas and board papers are normally required to be open and available to the public. The DHB’s District Strategic Plan is also subject to a public consultation process, as are many other decisions DHBs make.

How do DHB elections work?
DHB elections are conducted by postal vote at the same time as local government elections and use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system. Under STV, voters rank their desired candidates in order of preference. When casting an STV vote, voters write a ‘1’ beside the candidate they most prefer, a ‘2’ beside the candidate they next prefer, and so on. Voters can rank as many or as few candidates as they wish: their vote will be valid as long as a ‘1’ appears on it.

Candidates are elected when they reach a specific level of support from voters (known as the ‘STV quota’). To be elected to a DHB, candidates need to get a little over 12.5 percent of the vote. Voting for each DHB is also conducted on an ‘at-large’ basis. This means that every voter living in a DHB district is able to express a preference for every candidate who stands for the board.

Key dates for the 2007 DHB elections

24 August 2007 Candidate nominations close (at 12 noon)

21-26 September 2007 Voting documents issued – start of voting period,
special votes are issued and early processing of votes begins

13 October 2007 Election day – end of voting period (at 12 noon) and announcement of preliminary results as soon as practical after the close of voting

From 13 October 2007 Special votes are counted and official results are declared

10 December 2007 Newly elected board members take office

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