After waiting most of the year for his final Southern District Health Board member, chairman Joe Butterfield lost no time appointing her to a committee.
Sandra Cook, who attended her first monthly board meeting yesterday, was appointed to the iwi governance committee.
Mr Butterfield said he would be revisiting the committee structure as a whole at the start of the new year, but it had always been planned that the final board member would be a member of the iwi governance committee.
He successfully sought approval to appoint Ms Cook to the committee. Board deputy chairman Paul Menzies told the board he felt good progress was being made on Maori health.
Chief executive Brian Rousseau, who was recently farewelled formally by the iwi governance committee, said he was yet to see, in his time in public health in New Zealand, a Maori health plan as "robust" as Southern's.
He said that included his time at Counties Manakau District Health Board.
