Chris Fleming (48) will take a break from his role as Nelson Marlborough District Health Board chief executive.
He will start in mid-September, a couple of weeks after Carole Heatly departs.
Mr Fleming was brought in to troubleshoot at the SDHB early last year, when the organisation was in financial difficulty.
He wrote a report outlining its difficulties which in part blamed community "victories'' from healthcare campaigns for its financial woes.
He was also on the shortlist for the chief executive role at the board in 2011, but missed out to Ms Heatly.
"To be perfectly honest, I think the team that made the employment decision back then got it right,'' he said yesterday.
"I think those people did me well when they didn't choose me.''
Mr Fleming said at that time he lacked the experience to run a large health board. He was chief executive of the South Canterbury DHB at the time.
He does not intend to apply for the permanent role at the SDHB.
Asked about his salary during the secondment, he said he had negotiated "remuneration that I think is fair''.
"It's not significantly more, but it's a bit more than my current role [pays].''
Mr Fleming said he would not be travelling back to Nelson for weekends, as he did not think that would be fair "to the southern community''.
"I'm now in a fortunate situation where my children have gone and my wife is in a position to be able to travel with me.''
Mr Fleming said the Southern board was in a much better position now than when he visited last year.
"They're on an improving fiscal track, so I want to be able to show that under my watch that track continues.''
When he started at Nelson Marlborough in early 2013, it was in deficit, but its 2015-16 result was a $1.6million surplus.
"We're making the surplus whilst at the same time investing in new initiatives.''
Mr Fleming has also worked at the Counties Manukau, Waikato, and Hawke's Bay boards.
Commissioner Kathy Grant said her team was pleased to have secured Mr Fleming's services.
"Chris is an experienced CEO who has previously worked with Southern DHB, and will provide effective ongoing leadership for the DHB's Owning our Future strategy as we seek a permanent appointment to the CEO role.''
Ms Heatly resigned earlier this month after more than four years in the role.
Mr Fleming is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants and the New Zealand Institute of Directors.
