Announcement of New Chief Executive for Collaborative Way Forward in Northland Primary Health

Te Kaupapa Mahitahi Hauora – Papa o Te Raki Trust today announced the appointment of nationally recognised health leader Phillip Balmer as Chief Executive.

“This is a critical appointment as Northland forges a new way forward in primary care,” says Eru Lyndon, Chair of the Trust.

“Phillip brings significant national and international experience working with communities to deliver primary and secondary services designed around patients, whanau and their broader, complex, needs.

“The Trust is an initiative following a two and a half year collaborative kaupapa. The result is that we are uniquely representative of Maori, clinicians, existing primary health organisations, the Northland District Health Board, and Northland communities.

“We aim to take a partnership approach to empower whanau, communities, and health providers to enable whanau to make the best decisions for their health and wellbeing. We aim to provide greater support for GPs and healthcare providers.

“Phillip is a leader in the area of integrating primary and clinical services to improve health outcomes particularly for Māori and Pacific Island populations.” says Mr Lyndon.

“I believe that success, fundamentally, is all about relationships,” says Phillip Balmer.

“I’m excited by the aspiration of the new Trust. My ambition as Chief Executive is to support the board with the transition of the existing primary health organisations to a single Primary Health Entity and to develop a new model for primary health in Northland with the primary health sector, Iwi leaders, the district health board and the wider community.

“Our new primary health trust sees Northland leading the way and will see Northland move to the forefront of effective practice nationally,” Mr Balmer says.

Mr Balmer was formerly the Director of Hospital Services at Counties-Manukau District Health Board where he managed 6,000 staff and an $800M budget. Amongst other achievements, he has managed the merger of the PHOs in the Bay of Plenty, established a Māori Clinical School in Whakatane and a Rural Health Training School, strengthened MahiTahi through the Bay Navigator programme and led system level improvement work at Counties to ensure services are designed around patients and whanau. He began his career at the grass roots of health care as a nurse.

Mr Balmer commences as Chief Executive of the Trust on Tuesday, 29th January 2019.