Simeon Brown removes Medical Council leaders over ‘ideological agenda’

Tuesday, 16 June 2026

Simeon Brown has declined to reappoint Medical Council chair Dr Rachelle Love and deputy chair Simon Watt.

Both remained eligible for reappointment.

Brown says the council has become distracted from its core responsibilities.

Dr Kenneth Clark has been appointed chair and Ming-Chun Wu deputy chair.

Health Minister Simeon Brown has replaced the leadership of New Zealand’s medical regulator, saying the Medical Council has become distracted by politics and an “ideological agenda”.

Brown declined to reappoint Medical Council chair Dr Rachelle Love and deputy chair Simon Watt when their terms expired, despite both remaining eligible for reappointment, Andrea Vance of The Post reported.

The Medical Council is responsible for registering doctors, setting professional standards and ensuring practitioners are competent and fit to practise.

Brown said ministerial appointments were ultimately a matter for ministers.

“The Medical Council has become increasingly distracted by politics instead of focusing on its core responsibilities of improving patient outcomes and ensuring New Zealanders can get the care they need, when they need it,” he told The Post.

Brown pointed to the council’s recent consultation on draft statements covering cultural competence, cultural safety and Māori health and wellbeing.

The documents outlined expectations that doctors understand how culture can affect health outcomes and how bias and systemic factors can contribute to inequities.

“You only need to look at the council’s recent consultation documents, which ask doctors to examine their own ‘privilege’, to challenge the ‘dominant culture’ of the health system, to study the difference between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation, and to help ‘dismantle’ systems,” Brown told The Post.

“Kiwis expect the Medical Council to be focused on strengthening the medical workforce, not on an ideological agenda.”

On Monday, the council’s website confirmed former MidCentral DHB chief medical officer Dr Kenneth Clark had been appointed chairperson, with professional director Ming-Chun Wu appointed deputy chairperson.

“I expect the new council members to refocus on what matters most to Kiwis; putting patients first, improving health outcomes, and supporting the growth of our medical workforce. Those priorities should always have been at the heart of the council’s work,” Brown said.

The Post said it understood the council had supported Love and Watt continuing in their leadership roles when their terms expired.

Love, a Christchurch head and neck surgeon, joined the council in 2020 and was elected chair by fellow council members in 2024.

Neither Love nor Watt responded to requests for comment from The Post.

The move has prompted concern among some senior doctors, who say it raises questions about the independence of professional regulators.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton described the decision as “weird” and said it raised broader questions about the independence of professional regulators, The Post reported.

The leadership change comes as the Government considers reforms to the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act.

Last year, Love warned against politicians playing a direct role in determining who can practise medicine amid proposals that would allow the Health Minister to direct health profession regulators to implement Government policy.

In a statement, the Medical Council noted its members are appointed by the Minister of Health.

“Four medical practitioner members are nominated through an election of the medical profession and subsequently appointed by the Minister.

“Four medical practitioner members and all lay members are appointed directly by the Minister … Questions about individual appointment or reappointment decisions are best directed to the Minister’s office.”