Today's first joint special meeting of Otago and Southland District Health Boards in Invercargill, which will discuss the contentious super-primary health organisation (PHO) proposal, promises to be a lively affair.
But chairman Paul Menzies says he is "pretty relaxed" about it.
Mr Menzies, the chairman of the Southland board, said it would be a historic occasion.
There will be opportunity for the boards to break into separate rooms for discussion if needed, and both boards must legally make their own decisions.
People unable to attend can be linked by video-conference from Dunedin Hospital to the 12.30pm meeting.
Otago chairman Errol Millar said yesterday the only members of his board who had advised they could not attend were Helen Algar, who had work commitments but had told him of her thinking on the issue, and Peter Barron, who had a conflict of interest.
Judith Medlicott, who in earlier discussions had declared a conflict of interest because of her husband's involvement with Mornington PHO, had advised that conflict no longer existed and she would be attending.
Yesterday, it was not clear how many PHO and South Link Health representatives might take up the invitation to speak to the meeting.
The existing nine PHOs will go out of existence if the boards vote for the recommendation of chief executive Brian Rousseau, which would result in the boards establishing one PHO for both regions.
Mr Rousseau will also ask the boards to reject South Link Health's proposal to establish a PHO structure which would have covered Otago, Southland and South Canterbury.
• Yesterday, Mr Rousseau followed board policy of not making public comments on matters before meetings.
He would not answer questions about a lack of financial information and evaluation of options in his proposal report.
