Margie Apa departs as Health NZ chief executive

Friday, 7 February 2025

Margie Apa announced she has stepped down from the role of chief executive on Friday.

Margie Apa has left her role as chief executive of Health New Zealand, four months before her contract was due to expire.

“Although my term formally ends in June, Health New Zealand is at a point in the reset where a different leadership approach is required to take us forward, and I would like to make space for that now,” Apa said.

Apa said she was pleased to have played a part in the shift to a “more unified health system” but it was time to hand on the baton.

Health NZ Commissioner Lester Levy said her exit was “mutually agreed” and he thanked her for her service.

“Margie has an extraordinary work ethic and from the day of my appointment she has worked extremely hard to support the new work programme.

Margie Apa, then chief executive of Health NZ, and Health Commissioner Professor Lester Levy at a health select committee at Parliament last year.

“The reset is a significant change in direction from where Health NZ was heading but she realigned entirely to the programme.”

Dr Dale Bramley, a Māori public health specialist and experienced health sector leader, will be the interim chief executive for Health NZ - Te Whatu Ora.

The executive leadership team was told in a meeting this morning, The Post understands.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon thanks Margie for her work and said her exit wasn’t his doing.

Last year the Government stepped in amid reports the agency was overspending by $130 million a month, sacking the board and replacing it with Levy who has been overseeing major restructures and staff redundancies.

Asked if he had a hand in Apa’s exit, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the Government did not make employment decisions.

“This is a decision for her and that she’s made. We are very grateful for her service in leading a very large and complex healthcare system.”

Health Minister Simeon Brown, who has officially held the portfolio for two weeks, acknowledged the decision and thanked Apa for her service.

“As chief executive at Health New Zealand, Margie remained committed to ensuring access to healthcare services while Health New Zealand grappled with significant operational and financial challenges stemming from the health system reforms.

New Health Minister Simeon Brown in his new office on level six of the Beehive.

He said he looked forward to working with Bramley to ensure the agency focussed on its core role of “access to timely, quality healthcare for all New Zealanders.”

Asked whether he asked her to resign, Brown said that was a question for Levy, who was responsible for the CEO’s appointment.

Soon after Brown was appointed health minister, Apa insisted on signing off every paper the agency sent to ministers, making the process 17-steps long for some departments.

Apa was paid a salary of $895,000 in the 2023/24 financial year, a $31,000 pay bump from the previous year. It’s understood Levy wanted to draw on Apa’s expertise in navigating the agency of 85,000 staff while trying to find savings of close to $2 billion.

Peeni Henare says the exit is more signs of chaos at the top.

The Post understands Apa has been negotiating an exit package for some time.

She also retained her role throughout 2024, despite multiple other members of the ELT either being sacked or made redundant, including award-winning chief financial officer Rosalie Hughes (previously Rosalie Percival).

Other leaders gone include former hospital and specialist services director Fionnagh Dougan, head of people Andrew Slater and data and digital lead Leigh Donoghue.

Labour’s acting health spokesperson Peeni Henare told The Post the exit, four months early, was another sign of chaos in the health system.

“For your regular punter, it looks like rather chaotic, and it's starting to slip into the way we receive our healthcare.

“You can tinker at the top as much as you want at the top, but systematic change is going to take longer.”

Dr Dale Bramley, left, pictured in 2017 with the man he will now be working closely with for at least the next few months, Commissioner Lester Lester, second from right.

With Luxon having sacked the board of Te Whatu Ora, then Dr Shane Reti as health minister, and with the chief executive now gone the Government was running out of people to blame, Henare said.

Henare said it was anyone’s guess who was in charge of the health system at the moment.

“My guess would be it’s Lester Levy… [He] certainly undermined her leadership of Health New Zealand.

“Such change at the top is never good. Stability is what the health sector needs.”

Henare said he knew Apa personally and she cared deeply about health outcomes.

Who is Dr Dale Bramley?

Bramley (Ngā Puhi) is a specialist in public health medicine, graduating from Auckland University in 1995.

He has been at the agency since its inception, most recently working as planning funding and outcomes director. Before that he was chief executive of Waitematā District Health Board for 11 years.

He has also been chairperson of the Health Quality & Safety Commission, the National Health Committee, National Ethics Committee and worked on the advice group of the Government’s Covid-19 independent review.

Bramley is also an adjunct professor at Auckland University of Technology.

Health New Zealand has been working with a boutique firm on a global search to find a new chief executive, with expressions of interest open until February 14.