A partner at accounting firm Deloitte New Zealand has been brought into the Southern District Health Board as a temporary chief finance officer.
In a statement yesterday, commissioner Kathy Grant said Mike Hoshek, of Christchurch, would carry out the executive director of finance role until a permanent appointment.
The position was held by Peter Beirne but earlier this year the board said he was moving into a new role to oversee the Dunedin Hospital rebuild.
Mrs Grant issued her first commissioner's update report yesterday, two months after her appointment to sort out the health board.
The newsletter said the draft final 2014-15 deficit was about $27million, as had been expected.
''We have begun the task of identifying the key issues that will inform our work plan.
''It is clear to the team, and a majority of the people we have engaged with, that change will be required to enable the DHB to live within its means.''
The commissioner team, keen to address concern over a lack of information since board meetings were scrapped in June, yesterday released more than a dozen finance, clinical, and policy reports, along with the commissioner's newsletter.
