Lester Levy, $320,000 Part time Health NZ Commissioner: “It’s not for me to fix everything”

Written By: - Date published: 2:12 pm, September 19th, 2024 - 16 comments
Categories: health, Shane Reti - Tags:

This is an excerpt from the Mountain Tui substack post

In watching the Health Select Committee yesterday, it became clear to me why Margie Apa remains Health NZ CEO.

During Levy’s testimony, Apa sat like a rock next to her boss. She nodded supportively, scribbled notes to him, jumped in when he faltered, and helped him to answer questions.

When Labour’s Dr Verrall asked why Health NZ started implementing “a surge” of NDAs, Levy said he didn’t know anything about that.

Apa explained –

Apa:

“I did ask for NDAs for senior managers who were involved in budgets. And, that’s not unusual…”

Verrall:

“Well, I can advise members of the Health NZ delegation that this is a highly unusual practice in a public sector organisation.”

“And I put to you, Commissioner Levy, that you have the power to ask for these to be removed.”

“The Public Service Commissioner has asked that I [ask you] whether you think this is appropriate for a public service organisation.

I have seen some of these NDAs.

They ask officials not to discuss their ideas.

This is North Korean, get rid of it.”

Levy acknowledged that he had received a letter from the Public Service Commissioner.

And he said they would respond soon.

Verrall later expands:

“Every government department in New Zealand writes a budget and none of them have this level of non-disclosure agreements.”

[They are being used to] “hide the scale of the cuts they are planning”.

This is consistent because the NDAs appeared after the leak of one of Health NZ’s latest proposals – 4492 cut to meet Dr Levy’s budget request.

[470 doctors, 1491 nurses, 338 allied staff and more than 2000 managers and admin workers.]

Newsroom cited sources as saying the model was not a drill when the press caught wind of it. “At least one region” was already consulting on its rollout.

But they all knew it was “politically unpalatable”.

[Wait – what about the health and well-being impacts to Kiwis?]

Courtesy: RNZ

The issue with NDAs is this is a public sector organisation and transparency and accountability should be foremost.

But Apa received a public bollocking from Levy the last time a budget leaked. So I can perhaps understand why she conceived of the idea. Still it’s inappropriate – this is the public service, not her fiefdom.

At the time, Levy claimed he didn’t know anything about the budget proposal. He had just asked for his target numbers to be met. i.e. Luxon’s target numbers.

[What does he know? And what does he actually do? The 3 days a week actually makes sense.]

Apa also backs Levy up outside the Committee when the waiting media throng ask Levy how many hours he works for Health NZ. Why did he ask for $320,000 on a part time job? Was it justified for what amounts to one of two part time gigs?

Levy said he worked 10-12 hours a day, 7 days a week:

“Ask Margie.”

Margie affirms.

Later, Levy says –

“The job is never put as a full-time job,

but I would propose to you if you’re working 10 to 12 hours a day on a particular job, that’s quite a lot.”

[Wait, so 10-12 hours a day for Health NZ? Or 10-12 hours on whatever job you’re working at? And if you’re doing your full teaching schedule 2 days a week, how do you fit in 24 hours a day and still sleep and eat?]

The role of the Chair was always to work a 2.5 – 3 day job, Levy continues, even though he isn’t Chair anymore.

Luxon was on hand to defend Levy, saying it was “quite normal” for Kiwis to have more than one job and such people work “incredibly hard” i.e. more than 8 hours a week, he meant…. ah, 8 hours a day.

[Freudian slips can be hard to overcome. But also, is Luxon inferring it’s common for Kiwis to find $320,000 part time Czar gigs? If so, please re-direct Prime Minister. I work long hours for very little. So do the majority of Kiwis.]

And yes, Jan. It seems to be too important a role to have a part time IT Professor on it, Mr Luxon.

[Hipkins is also interviewed here and it strikes me at this point that Hipkin’s popularity is falling because he hardly gets any media time, unlike folks like Seymour and Luxon when in opposition. In fact, hardly any Opposition members get air time anymore]

What was clear to me in watching the Health Select Committee is Levy is similar to Luxon in at least three ways.

One, he likes to promote himself. He boasted about his time at Waitematā district health board. Except the results show he has a playbook that is inconsistent with genuine transformation – ultimately leaving health districts in worse shape after he leaves. Glory is easy to take, but doing the right thing is always going to be more important – but not for everyone.

Two, he favours corporate talk and saying the right thing. Levy has a lot of ideas about IT, investment, and productivity. He says all the right things – what someone like Luxon would want to hear. Levy’s real job is about wait times, because we all know that’s what Luxon’s KPIs say. It’s the “actual real mission here” Levy admits.

All while ignoring the elephant in the room – funding and budget needed to hire “resources”. [Not to mention patient care, doctors and nurses and their well-being/retention, cost of healthcare, access to healthcare, preventative healthcare etc]

Instead, Levy claims Health NZ has more than enough resources – they just haven’t squeezed enough out of them:

”We’ve got a lot of resource and we’re not actually getting the true value out of that resource and we need to do that and we’re working to do that.”

The saying “drawing blood from a stone” emerges in my head.

Three, he is hands off but puts people into positions so they can be blamed take accountability instead. For example, at one point during the media questions, he is asked if the understaffing issues at Dargaville hospital have been fixed yet. Dargaville has no doctors overnight and telehealth was used. The cardiac patient died.

Levy draws an obvious blank here before saying “it’s not for me to fix everything, so we now have regional Deputy Chief Executives.“

It’s a certain type of leadership style that enjoys accolades but consistently positions accountability elsewhere. Hence his common refrain “I don’t know about that”. Luxon uses it commonly too – “I haven’t heard about that.”

Back to Apa.

It’s good she survived.

It’s not easy to.

By all accounts, Levy has always left a wake of organisation and leadership destruction where he works.

But she has clearly shown her utility to him and been willing to bend to the new direction.

I once thought it odd that if the “unexpected” health deficit was as Reti claimed [fact checked here by the Post as a fail], why she would retain her job.

[The deficit was actually caused by successful nursing recruitment numbers etc. as reported by Marc Daalder.]

Well it turns out they found another scapegoat:

2023 CFO of the Year: Rosie Percival.

Health commentator Ian Powell:

“It forms a pattern of Lester Levy when he comes into a new organisation. First of all, he diagnoses a crisis of financial mismanagement. And secondly, people get scapegoated. And I think that Rosalie is a casualty of that.”

In conclusion, it turns out Health NZ is paying ~$1 million more in senior executive salaries after Dr Levy started. No money for Health, Luxon had said despite underfunding Health, but anything we need to imprison more Kiwis.

Some profit from such models.

Way to go, talkers.

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EXTRA STUFF:

Talking about CEOs:

Other public sector leaders didn’t survive the change in government like Apa has.

For example, Kāinga Ora CEO Andrew McKenzie fell on his sword after the government ran an apparent pre-conceived “independent review” on Kāinga Ora.

And after McKenzie left, National appointed a much more business friendly individual: Matt Crockett – former Telecommunications and Fletcher Building executive.

16 comments on “Lester Levy, $320,000 Part time Health NZ Commissioner: “It’s not for me to fix everything” ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. SPC 1
    19 September 2024 at 4:51 pm

    Hard working part-timers – like the Green list MP, not a member of the Green Party caucus – whom does she serve in parliament?

  2. adam 2
    19 September 2024 at 7:48 pm

    On the day Mickey talks about tax, your post Mountain Tui begs an even more dire question around tax.

    Why are we even paying tax when this mob can't even get the basics of running a health system right.

  3. PsyclingLeft.Always 3
    19 September 2024 at 8:38 pm

    Hi Mountain Tui, yep, re as you Post

    During Levy’s testimony, Apa sat like a rock next to her boss. She nodded supportively, scribbled notes to him, jumped in when he faltered, and helped him to answer questions.

    CEO Margie Apa, whether due to a bollocking from Commissioner Levy, and/or looking to her personal future, she certainly does seem to have lost touch with the Big Picture.

    Which is, the wellbeing crisis of Health New Zealand…and its consequential negative effect on our NZ Health and Wellbeing.

    I do rate Dr Ayesha Verrall, she can sure ask the hard questions ! But getting them to answer…and getting more exposure/public to react ? Also hard…..

    As seen previously, it seems not so much bread and circus' to mollify…merely : let them have their tea..and toast. Aaargh !

    However, at the sharps end of this…Doctors/Specialists/Nurses are not easily silenced….so they will be an ever increasing difficulty, for Levy, Reti..and Margie Apa.

    On that a small digression if I may…, I do recall a BBC programme i occasionally watched many years back : Hard Talk.

    Tim Sebastian…don't know if you ever heard of? Certainly seemed to get stuck into the difficult questioning….

    With all the talk of the lack of our NZ critical media (or critical thinking for that ) ..where is our PBS?

    I realise the Media Dumbing Down started many years back (thanks sir John Key and friends) , but it seems some pretty lonely voices trying to raise the Public's attention !

    Keep up the good work/exposure M.T. and the Standard.!

    • Obtrectator 3.1
      19 September 2024 at 11:02 pm

      I do recall a BBC programme i occasionally watched many years back : Hard Talk.

      Oh yes, indeed. It's still going too, with much the same approach (although Tim Sebastian left in 2006).

      A certain Mr Key fronted up to it on one memorable occasion. He was never seen on it again ….

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 3.1.1
        20 September 2024 at 8:15 am

        Oh thanks for reply. I didnt see the sir Key episode, but certainly have read about his denial….

    • Mountain Tui 3.2
      20 September 2024 at 11:19 am

      PsyclingLeft.Always

      I would love to have a great investigative channel in NZ. Or yes just interviewers who can really bring it home.

      Unfortunately media is weak, but it doesn't always have to be this way.

      I've been impressed with Dr Ayesha Verrall – she is clearly angry too at what is happening and her questions are intelligent and courteous but strong. Good for her, and thank goodness we are seeing some stronger opposition too.

      I think the problems in Health NZ are complex but they have the wrong man in the job – a sycophant who says all the right things and can squeeze people around him to get the right "numbers" but that's not necessarily good for Kiwis at all.

  4. gsays 4
    19 September 2024 at 9:03 pm

    One thing's for sure about this part-timer, I bet his holiday pay is up to scratch unlike the workforce, most of which are waiting for reimbursement for previous financial mismanagement.

  5. PsyclingLeft.Always 5
    20 September 2024 at 8:23 am

    Health Minister Shane Reti fails to address West Coast health cut concerns

    Lester …? Margie…? Someone …?

    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has stopped short of saying the West Coast's planned new weekend health service will be safe for patients.

    Nor will the minister say how he plans to fix the funding model being blamed for the reduced service.

    From 1 October, the Coast will lose its weekend urgent GP clinics. They will be replaced by telehealth provider, Ka Ora, with some in-person clinical back-up.

    What would they know…..

    Both the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) oppose the cuts, saying patients will be put risk.

    A simple..question. Which Reti does not answer

    The Westport News asked Reti if he believed the proposed service would be safe for patients.

    "I have been assured that alongside growing capacity for after-hours care through utilising telehealth support, in-person care will remain available on the West Coast," Reti replied.

    "I am very aware that there are financial and workforce pressures on some practices. West Coast Health, Health NZ and the private GP practices will continue to work in partnership to ensure there are sustainable primary care services for our West Coast community."

    As also here..

    Reti did not respond when asked why West Coasters should receive less access to health care than their city counterparts.

    Nor would he say whether he agreed the funding model was unfair or how he would fix it.

    "Health NZ continues to work with the primary care sector on sustainable funding arrangements," he said.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/528452/health-minister-shane-reti-fails-to-address-west-coast-health-cut-concerns

    NACT1..a clear and present danger to NZ's Health and Wellbeing !

  6. Ngungukai 6
    20 September 2024 at 8:57 am

    They all "Talk the Talk" but can they "Walk the Walk", a lot of big talking from NACTACTNZF, but can they produce the goods for the Average Joe New Zealander, only time will tell.

    • BK 6.1
      20 September 2024 at 5:12 pm

      I think if you still need time you aren't paying attention, which imo lots of average Joe's gave up doing years ago and the politicians know this, therefore just do what they want, get through the slightly awkward press conference and then move on. Pick up a sir or dame in front of their name and have a nice life. Stink for the rest of us

  7. Barfly 7
    20 September 2024 at 11:27 am

    Lester Levy "…pray for me…" ffs

  8. tc 8
    20 September 2024 at 12:16 pm

    "Levy claims Health NZ has more than enough resources – they just haven’t squeezed enough out of them"

    When you can make comments like that unchallenged after stiffing primary healthcare, GP numbers etc. Great gig if you can get it, even better send in the minion to answer.

    Walk into any ED facility since covid it's been an uphill battle and now with this mob going all in stacking the exec ranks it's already very ugly folks.

  9. Mike the Lefty 9
    20 September 2024 at 12:20 pm

    It shows what the NACTs value best in their officials.

    Not ability, not humanity, not dedication to the job.

    Just being able to spray and walk away.

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