Public Service Association organiser Julie Morton said John Pine left abruptly just before the Easter break. She had ‘‘no idea'' what happened, but was surprised at the ‘‘haste''.
The service is being restructured, and the union was disappointed it had been allowed no input into the changes.
‘‘The HR team is so important because it's essentially the glue between us as a union, and our members. That's how we contact the DHB; they're the people who run the business for our members.
‘‘Everything we do goes through HR,'' Mrs Morton said.
The union had been pressing for some time for improvements to human resources.
The department was under-resourced, and had been affected by the departure of other senior staff.
Mr Pine could not be contacted yesterday.
HR professional Craig Coburn, of Christchurch, has been brought in as a temporary head of human resources.
Chief executive Carole Heatly said the resignation was an opportunity for change, and the board had proposed a new model to HR staff.
‘‘Given his resignation, and the changes under consideration for this area, it was mutually agreed that there was no requirement for him to work through a notice period,'' Ms Heatly said.
Mr Pine, who moved from Wellington for the role in 2011, had returned to Wellington.‘‘HR, including health and safety, currently reports to the director of human resources, on the executive team.
‘‘The proposed change would see the operational aspects of the role, including recruitment and health and safety, report to the chief operating officer.
‘‘We will be refocusing the executive-level HR position to focus on strategic organisational development and performance, leading initiatives including leadership, staff and team development, building organisational culture and improving employee engagement,'' Ms Heatly said.
The proposed changes would align HR with the Southern Future programme of change, Ms Heatly said.
