The biggest district health board in the country has its final meeting today in Invercargill, but it appears up to five of the 20 members will be absent.
Next month, the Southern board will have shrunk to 11 members in common with boards throughout the country.
Members of the super-board, formed from the merging of the Otago and Southland boards in May, gathered for a celebratory end-of-board meal last night.
Chairman Errol Millar said the cost of the "modest" meal would be paid for by the board, but members would have to pay for their own drinks.
Those unable to be present are expected to be retiring members Louise Rosson, Louise Carr, Helen Algar and Sajan Bhatia and highest-polling Otago candidate in the recent election Richard Thomson.
The biggest turnout of board members since the boards' merger occurred last month in Dunedin when only Dr Bhatia, who sought extended leave some months ago, was absent.
Once staff and Crown monitor Stuart McLauchlan were added, the number around the table was 25.
At that meeting, Mr Millar noted that such meetings took "a bit of managing", adding that "you can see why it's not desirable" and that he had no wish to continue chairing meetings of that size.
The final make-up of the new board and who will chair it is not yet known.
Health Minister Tony Ryall has yet to announce his four appointees to the board who will serve alongside the elected members - Mr Thomson, Dr Branko Sijnja, Dr Malcolm Macpherson and new member Mary Flannery from Otago, and Southland members Paul Menzies (current deputy), Neville Cook and Kaye Crowther.
The board will not have its usual advisory committee meetings this month, holding workshops instead.
The first meeting of the new board will be on December 9 in Dunedin, three days after the new board officially takes office.
