Canterbury DHB’s board met for the last time on Thursday 16 June as the transition to Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority on July 1 draws closer.

Canterbury DHB Chief Executive Dr Peter Bramley says that its Board has been focused on creating a health system and community where people take greater responsibility for their own health, stay well in their homes and communities, and receive timely and appropriate care.

“I would like to thank each and every one of our board members for their service to the people of Canterbury to make sure their health needs are met, particularly Jo Kane and Andrew Dickerson who are our current longest serving board members,” says Dr Peter Bramley.

“This DHB has been through a lot in the past ten years through natural disaster and tragedy, but it has always been incredibly progressive and innovative. Our people do an amazing job in supporting the healthcare of our community every day and in times of challenge, they have gone above and beyond.”

“We operate as an integrated health system in Canterbury and I believe that the strong relationships that we have with our primary care, private, community and NGO colleagues will help us immensely in our transition to Health NZ.”

Canterbury DHB Board Chair Sir John Hansen says that the people of the Canterbury Health System have had to respond in extraordinary ways to the challenges of the past few years, particularly the Canterbury Earthquakes, the Mosque terrorist attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic of the last two years”.

“I am proud of what we have achieved through our time in the Board, particularly our preparations and response for COVID-19 and our focus on infrastructure such as opening Waipapa and getting funding for the redevelopment of the Hillmorton campus and the new Central City Birthing Unit. We are leaving Canterbury DHB in a strong position as it transitions to Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority. I personally extended my thanks to all who made this possible at today’s meeting.”

The second biggest DHB by population, eight different boards over the years have served communities stretching from Ashburton in the south to Kekerengu (north of Kaikoura) across to Arthurs Pass in the West, along with the Chatham Islands. Canterbury DHB has over 11,000 staff, with a total of 23,500 health workers in our wider health system.

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