After being caretaker chief executive of Southern District Health Board for four months, Chris Fleming has been appointed to the role permanently.
The news was announced to staff yesterday by board commissioner Kathy Grant.
The 48-year-old relinquished his leadership of a board that posted a surplus of $1.6 million last year in favour of SDHB, one of the toughest jobs in the DHB sector.
''I undoubtedly will get messages from some people saying 'What are you doing'?'' Mr Fleming told the Otago Daily Times when asked why he wanted the job.
The caretaker role had given him a chance to get to know staff, and for them to know him.
''There's no chance of me being able to say: 'Oh gosh, I didn't know what I was letting myself in for'.''
When Mr Fleming was seconded from Nelson Marlborough DHB to run SDHB in a caretaker capacity he initially ruled out applying for the permanent role.
Five years ago, he applied for the top job at SDHB but missed out to Carole Heatly, who was recruited from England to run the struggling board.
During his time as caretaker he was impressed by the willingness of staff to accept change and to see problems as opportunities.
Mr Fleming talked about opportunities a lot in an interview yesterday, in which he was accompanied by Mrs Grant and the board's head of communication.
The board is under intense short-term financial pressure, as well as needing to plan its future through hospital redevelopments in Dunedin and Queenstown.
In a recently released briefing note requested by the ODT, Ministry of Health officials said Dunedin Hospital was ''deteriorating'' and was ''creating safety risks and harm, [and] causing delays and distress to patients and staff''.
Running the hospital was more costly than it should be because of the deteriorating facilities, the officials noted.
Mr Fleming said yesterday the deteriorating facilities were a big challenge, but also an opportunity to find ways to improve.
As caretaker, Mr Fleming had to front the board's response to the eye appointment follow-up crisis, which caused dozens of patients to lose part of their sight. The board hoped to eliminate the waiting list by July.
Not seeing eye patients in a timely fashion had not saved money. In fact, it was the opposite, he said.
''The ophthalmology crisis has cost us money.''
The interim works programme worth $22.5 million would help Dunedin Hospital get through the next few years, he said.
Mr Fleming is also involved in the much bigger Dunedin Hospital rebuild, in which the ministry takes the lead role.
Asked about rumours of conflict between the DHB and the ministry over rebuild planning, Mr Fleming said he would not describe it as conflict.
''I would rather take a productive partnership group approach rather than jumping into conflict. But that doesn't mean we won't stand up for what is right for Southern.''
Mr Fleming agreed his style of management was more hands-on than his predecessor's.
Some senior roles might change under his watch. ''There are some boundary issues within some of the roles.''
Mr Fleming and his wife Michelle were looking forward to settling permanently in Dunedin.
''My son's at Waikato University and my daughter's in London. When I came down here I made the decision ... to relocate at that time [from Nelson].
''One of the first things I asked myself, and then asked my wife, when the commissioner approached me about being considered for the role, is whether my wife wanted to live in Dunedin, and she does.''
Before Nelson Marlborough, Mr Fleming was chief executive of South Canterbury DHB. He has also worked at Counties Manukau, Waikato, and Hawke's Bay boards.
