Although the outcome of the local-body elections is still three weeks away, work has already started on the ministerial process to appoint four Southern District Health Board members.
Appointed district health board members are limited to serving nine consecutive years, although elected members may serve as long as they continue to be voted in.
However, because the Southern board is a new entity, appointed members who may have served nine years on the previous Otago or Southland boards will be unaffected by limits.
Among the appointments made by Health Minister Tony Ryall are the chairman and deputy chairman.
While the full list of appointees will not be released until December, it is usual to appoint board chairmen before then, so they can provide local input to the appointment process.
While it is possible for a chairman to be both an elected member and a ministerial appointment, as in the case of previous Otago chairman Richard Thomson, it is unusual.
Serving board members throughout the country were sent letters in August, making an assessment of their eligibility for appointment and asking them to indicate their availability for appointment.
Some people who stand unsuccessfully for election may be later appointed.
In an email response to questions about the process, Mr Ryall said nominations could come from a variety of sources, including government departments, colleagues and self-nomination on the Ministry of Health website.
There had also been newspaper advertisements calling for nominations, he said.
The ministry organises the process for Mr Ryall, which includes analysing the gaps in experience, skills and representation on boards once the official election results for the other seven places on each board are declared.
This analysis will be presented to Mr Ryall by late October with a "long list"of potential candidates.
The short-list is chosen by the minister and a panel set up to interview candidates who are not current board members.
This panel, which makes recommendations to the minister, is chaired by a ministry official and also involves the board chairman and an iwi representative.
Appointees are selected by the minister in late November and Cabinet and caucus advised before letters are sent to appointees in early December.
Asked if appointees were given specific or general advice, Mr Ryall said all board members were provided with comprehensive advice covering such things as conflicts of interest and Government expectations.
Ministry-run induction days and workshops were also held.
Each board also ran its own induction process.
Asked whether he kept in touch with appointees, giving them specific advice once they were appointed, Mr Ryall said not generally as the main point of communication was through the chairman.
The new boards take office on December 6.
Appointees on the existing board are chairman Errol Millar, deputy Paul Menzies, Helen Algar, Karen Goffe, Susie Johnstone, Tahu Potiki, and Tim Ward.
