"Te Whatu Ora Chair Rob Campbell’s rant about Three Waters and co-governance breaches the code of conduct for board members of Crown entities and he should be pulled up by the Public Service Commissioner”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Labour has politicised the public service by putting Campbell in charge of Health NZ and he needs to pull his head in or resign.

“Campbell went on LinkedIn and ranted about National’s Three Waters policy, saying:

‘I can only think that this is a thin disguise for the dog whistle on “co-governance”.’

“The Code of Conduct for Crown Entity Board Members says:

‘We act in a politically impartial manner. Irrespective of our political interests, we conduct ourselves in a way that enables us to act effectively under current and future governments. We do not make political statements or engage in political activity in relation to the functions of the Crown entity. When acting in our private capacity, we avoid any political activity that could jeopardise our ability to perform our role or which could erode the public’s trust in the entity. We discuss with the Chair any proposal to make political comment or to undertake any significant political activity.’

“Campbell’s comments are such an egregious breach of the code of conduct, it’s a wonder Peter Hughes hasn’t been in touch to tell him to take them down.

“The reality is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Much of the Wellington bureaucracy is openly sympathetic to the left and that is a real concern.

“A politically neutral public service that can carry out the policies of governments of all colours is critical.

“Labour has put someone in charge of Health NZ who can’t implement policy in a politically impartial way. That’s a serious problem.

“The Public Service Commissioner, Peter Hughes, needs to take a tough line on Campbell and other public servants who can’t act in a politically neutral way.”

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