Kate Hawkesby: Rob Campbell's sacking could be not only timely, but also for the better

So just when we thought we may never hear from Sir Ashley again – up he popped yesterday defending the public service.  He was claiming they’re all neutral but do we believe him? It probably doesn’t matter because the man in question, Rob Campbell, and his particular lack of neutrality is no longer an issue.. given he’s been sacked. Not a great week for him having lost his Health NZ gig only then to have rumours swirling of David Parker also  being about to swing the axe on his other job as the Environmental Protection Authority Chair too. So, in a week, two jobs gone, and ironically the firing being done by two of the tamer members of the Labour party, really. I did not see Ayesha Verrall as someone who could fire anyone, she looks like the sweetest person on earth, so that was a turn up for the books. But David Parker too, I mean when you think of big swinging guns inside the Labour party, Verrall and Parker don’t ordinarily spring to mind. But let’s be honest, the person loading the bullets was most likely Chris Hipkins. And for that, I give him credit.  We are used to, in this government, nothing happening to anyone. Accountability isn’t big on the priority scale; holding people to account that is. Just ask Trevor Mallard. So, to have two Ministers inside a 24-hour period looking to fire someone, is progress.  I don’t think Campbell’s covered himself in glory throughout this whole process. He’s argued it to the bitter end which put paid to my theory that maybe he wanted to be sacked. He just seemed to be asking for it with the way in which he conducted himself, refusing to apologise and seemingly missing the point about code of conduct rules being applicable to him. I also thought it was pretty arrogant the way he dismissed Sir Ashley Bloomfield's comments.  Bloomfield said that, he ‘spent much of the last 25 years in NZ’s excellent public service and saw no evidence of either left or right ‘leaning’,” he said he had ‘no idea how any of his former Crown Entity colleagues voted, because they just didn’t talk about it.’ Campbell’s response to that was to say that “there is a big difference between a chief executive and the chair of a board. A chief public servant is usually a career public servant, I am not a career public servant." I don’t know, that just all feels a bit holier than though to me, and a bit out of touch, which may have been part of his problem.  Along with how much time he appeared to spend on social media. Which as I said this week, was not a great look for someone overseeing a health system in such dire straits. I mean please make that your focus, not your LinkedIn profile and commentary.  But the key question now is whether the health system is better or worse off going forward.  One doctor who spoke to RNZ said it’s an opportunity now to have ‘someone with a healthcare background to deliver reforms.’ He was reported criticising 'a lack of transparency around what Health NZ and its board had been doing to address a systemic crisis in healthcare. He said there was a disconnect between leadership and health staff, who hadn't seen any change or vision, or an increase in staffing levels over several months.’ So that’s concerning and if that’s the case, then change here could be not only timely, but also for the better.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.