Ongoing speculation about spending at the Counties Manukau District Health Board could compromise the process already underway, warns the State Services Commissioner.
State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Peter Hughes is urging people to take a step back as National Party MP Jami-Lee Ross continues to question Health Minister David Clark in Parliament about an audit into the DHB.
Using parliamentary privilege, Mr Ross claimed the investigation identified remuneration and benefits to a senior DHB executive that were either unauthorised, excessive, or unjustified - he said the word "fraudulent" appeared in the audit report.
In Parliament, Mr Ross asked what action Dr Clark had taken to ensure former DHB chief executive Stephen McKernan took no part in decision-making about reviewing the audit Mr McKernan was mentioned in.
Dr Clark told Parliament he had no knowledge Mr McKernan was mentioned in that audit, but the former chief executive had mentioned the audit investigation was going on.
"It would be no surprise, I don't think, to the House that I have had plenty of conversations around Counties Manukau in my time as health minister, but the removal of those board members - my decision to refresh the leadership at Counties Manukau - had absolutely no connection to that audit investigation that was going on," he said.
In a statement, Mr Hughes said he was already aware of the documents tabled in Parliament by Mr Ross.
"From what I have seen the documents do not reveal anything I was not already aware of," he said.
Ongoing speculation was "extremely unfair" to Mr McKernan, said Mr Hughes, urging people "not to jump to conclusions".
He said he was looking into the matter as quickly as he could.
"In the meantime people should step back and let the process take its course.
"Ongoing commentary risks compromising that process."
