There are "no secrets" in the Southern District Health Board draft Maori health action plan but it will be kept secret until it is finalised, the Otago Daily Times has been told.
Confusion over publicity for the plan arose at the recent Southern District Health Board meeting where Richard Thomson questioned the need for the plan to be listed for consideration behind closed doors.
The reason given for that was that the plan was subject to approval by Minister of Health Tony Ryall.
However, during discussion doubt was cast on whether the plan was subject to the same strictures as the board's annual plan which is not released before ministerial approval.
At the meeting, Tahu Potiki said the board's iwi governance group had ratified the document and was happy with it and there would be no problem with it being made public.
The meeting agreed the situation should be clarified.
The Otago Daily Times was subsequently advised by Mr Ryall that the Maori health plan was not part of the annual plan and did not require ministerial sign-off.
It was up to the DHB to decide which issues it wanted to discuss in private, Mr Ryall said.
Despite this clarification, board Maori health general manager Donovan Clarke, said he was not prepared to release the document until it had been signed off by the Ministry of Health.
By email he said he had discussed this with board chief executive Brian Rousseau (who recently returned from leave and had not been present at the board meeting) and he agreed with him.
"The document is not signed off by the Ministry of Health and is in draft. There are no secrets in the Maori health plan. Given the Ministry of Health is stating it is a DHB decision when the document can be released, I will wait until sign off is achieved."
He would then be happy to release it, Mr Clarke said.
Later, Mr Rousseau said that while the minister signed only the annual plan, the Maori health plan was integral and required Ministry of Health Maori health directorate approval before the annual plan was submitted to the minister for approval.
The Otago Daily Times has sought a copy of the draft under the Official Information Act and does not accept its draft status is a reason not to release it.
It has sought clarification from the board regarding the legal situation surrounding the confidentiality of the document since the reason given for keeping it in the closed session of the board's public meeting - that it was subject to ministerial approval - no longer appeared to be valid.
