Opinion: I sense an inevitability that Rob Campbell will lose his position as the Chair of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). I don't think he should, but I think he will. He'll be walked.
The Government will want him gone fully from their ministries and entities. Yes, he broke the Code of Conduct for board members of Crown Entities, but his presence creates such a reputational risk in an election year, and Labour will not be prepared to take that risk.
And so he's out of Te Whata Ora…and I imagine he'll be fighting to remain at the EPA, but the Government will want him gone from there too.
It's a loss. It really is. Campbell is a greater leader and is particularly good in challenging environments.
To get Te Whata Ora to where it is already, is quite an achievement. It is one thing to lead through change and transformation. However, Campbell has led through huge upheaval. The country's DHBs were dismantled, and Te Whata Ora emerged from the ashes. Can you imagine all the hellish patch protection that went along with it…that role is not for the faint-hearted.
You're dealing with a health system that's under huge pressure, that was incredibly challenged through COVID, and is suffering from significant labour shortages. It's a health sector that is already frustrated with Labour, and has some big medical egos to boot.
Campbell would have found himself herding cats and holding a sack of snakes - and all the while he kept the majority of it out of the media. There is no doubt Campbell would have ruffled feathers, but don't underestimate what he pulled off.
However, what concerns me most about Campbell's exit, is the ripple effect it will have. It's something that we'll probably refer to as 'The Campbell Factor'. Because the sacking of Campbell and the speed and brutality of the Health Minister's reaction - you can either resign or be sacked, she said - will lead to many shunning the media and not feeling safe to speak out against issues that are troubling them in our healthcare. And I don't mean they won't speak out publicly. I mean in the context of whistleblowing, or alerting media to issues. Campbell's sacking will silence many.
Every journalist who specialises in an area develops sources. And they protect those sources like they would protect their children. I can remember both Duncan and Tova - when they were political editors at TV3 - and both had rock-solid sources.
They would open the 6 o'clock news bulletin and confidently break a story knowing their source was good. Trusted sources play a really important role in a democracy. And in all areas but particularly politicised and sensitive situations, journalists go to great lengths to not reveal where our information comes from, and who informed us.
However, the situation with Campbell will have many running for cover.
That's a good thing if you're the Government. But that's a terrible situation for the public. DHBs have always had hefty non-disclosure agreements in place. Pharmac's advisory committees are legally gagged too. And for whose benefit is all of this? Your's? Mine?
The sacking of Campbell isn't just the silencing of one man who this Government considered rogue. It's the silencing of anyone who works in the public sector. And that is a tragedy for us all, and for the betterment of our ministries, and our government entities.
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