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The actions of Auckland health boss Wayne Brown are under renewed scrutiny after the National Party accused him of ditching a convention of declaring conflicts of interest at all board meetings.
In a tense exchange in Parliament yesterday, National's health spokesman Tony Ryall suggested one of Mr Brown's first actions as chairman of Auckland District Health Board was to end the requirement to declare conflicts of interest at every meeting.
Mr Ryall pointed to agendas from board meetings as evidence to back his claim.
On the agenda from the board's meeting on December 6, 2001 - not chaired by Mr Brown - the second item is a disclosure of interests.
But the agenda from January 31, 2002 - with Mr Brown as chairman - does not contain the item.
Mr Ryall suggested to Health Minister Pete Hodgson that the decision "may in fact have proved fatal" to the laboratory contracting mess the board now finds itself in.
The High Court has cancelled a $560 million laboratory contract after finding that a conflict of interest existed during the tendering process.
Health chiefs are now scrambling to secure services for 1.4 million Aucklanders beyond July 1.
Mr Ryall claimed that other health boards require their members to declare conflicts.
Mr Brown was last night surprised to be told of National's claims, and said he did not personally handle "those things".
"I didn't specifically do that," he said, when asked if he had removed the declaration of conflict of interest at every meeting.
He said the board secretary checked the interests and they were regularly declared, but "we don't do it at every meeting".
Mr Brown added that even if the agenda item had been removed, it didn't remove anybody's obligations.
The Government has been under fire since the High Court ruling, with calls for accountability ringing loud.
Labour has attempted to muddy the waters by linking the man at the centre of the conflict of interest - Tony Bierre - to the National Party.
Yesterday Prime Minister Helen Clark seized on Dr Bierre's role as a National Party scrutineer in the 2005 election as evidence of the link.
She has so far refused to express confidence in Mr Brown or the other board chairs, and said such issues would be considered after an ongoing laboratory contract was secured.
