I wanted to let you know that I have accepted a role with Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora as Establishment Deputy Chief Executive of the Central Region. I will be starting in this role at the end of next month.

I am very excited about this opportunity. I will be working with the team at Health New Zealand over the following 12 months to establish the regional structure and guide the organisational development of Central Region. I have worked in the health sector for over 30 years now. I come from a clinical background, including nursing and frontline mental health, and have held leadership roles in District Health Boards previously. These experiences will shape my approach to the work I will need to do in this new role. It is challenging, but I am pleased to be able to contribute to how services will be delivered and health outcomes improved in the Central Region.

For the period while I am with Health New Zealand Geoff Short, current Director of the Ministry’s Transformation programme, will step into my role as Acting Deputy Director-General to ensure the smooth running of the Clinical, Community and Mental Health Directorate. Geoff has held a number of key leadership positions across the public service over the last decade and I know he will be a safe pair of hands while I am supporting Health New Zealand.

This change should have no impact on your working relationships with our Mental Health, Addiction and Suicide Prevention kaimahi and I know Geoff looks forward to connecting with many of you as he settles into the role.

If you have any questions please email Nicole.Willis@health.govt.nz.

Ngā mihi

Robyn