Newly-released documents shed new light on the leadup to the Government’s dramatic intervention in Health NZ. The briefings and financial reports, released this afternoon, showed that Te Whatu Ora - Health NZ insisted it was on track to meet its 2023/24 budget and provide more than half a billion dollars in savings up until March this year, before a sudden deterioration in its financial position. It also showed that the board strongly rejected allegations from Government that it was not on top of its finances, and confirmed that the main driver of its financial position was an overspend on nurses.
In July, Health Minister Shane Reti appointed a commissioner , Professor Lester Levy, to replace Health NZ’s remaining board members, citing financial mismanagement and poor performance. The just-released briefings show that Health NZ’s monthly financial updates continued to project a surplus until March..