Hawke's Bay District Health Board (DHB) plans to appoint an executive director of primary care next year, overseeing primary care in both Health Hawke's Bay and the DHB, as part of a corporate restructure.
DHB chief executive Dr Kevin Snee said a "handful" of positions were out for consultation "but we are not having fewer jobs".
He said the new role would oversee about half of the DHB's budget of $500 million compared with the 7 per cent Health Hawke's Bay accounts for.
The executive director would manage the Health Hawke's Bay contract and have a greater relationship with practices and the wider primary-care community.
DHB chairman Kevin Atkinson said it was put to the Health Hawke's Bay board that a role managing Health Hawke's Bay be combined with the executive director role but Mr Atkinson said GPs "expressed reservations".