Media release from Health Workforce New Zealand

New Zealand Centre of Excellence in Health Care Leadership Health Workforce New Zealand (HWNZ) has confirmed the establishment of a New Zealand
Centre of Excellence in Health Care Leadership to be hosted by the University of Auckland.

The centre aims to improve leadership at all levels within the health system and to provide a resource for all professional groups and managers.

HWNZ Director Brenda Wraight says there is a recognised need for a national centre to bridge professional and organisational boundaries to support and develop the leaders our health system needs in the future.

"The centre will deliver this support by consolidating and enhancing the work already
occurring across the sector to lift leadership and performance", she says.

University of Auckland Dean of Medical and Health Sciences Professor Iain Martin says the centre's leadership focus will be built on the University's research and education strengths.

"We want to develop a centre of international standing which will advance the development of health care leadership in New Zealand, the South Pacific region and beyond", he says.

South Canterbury District Health Board's Chief Executive Chris Fleming says that the
development of the New Zealand Centre of Excellence in Health Care Leadership is an exciting opportunity to ensure that we are investing in critical leadership skills for our future.

"In order to optimise the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders it is essential that we continually strive for excellence and innovation in health and disability services delivered throughout New Zealand. One of the critical elements in achieving this is the development of innovative leaders empowered with world class leadership skills. This cannot be done piecemeal, it requires a coordinated investment in research into contemporary leadership competencies and skills, and academically and workplace based leadership training that will impart these skills into both current and future leaders throughout the sector", he says.

The University of Auckland was selected to host the centre following expressions of interest from a range of education providers. The Centre of Excellence in Health Care Leadership will also work with other institutions such as universities in the development and ongoing work of the centre.

The University of Auckland's Faculty of Medicine and Health Science and the Faculty of Business and Economics will work together to establish the centre drawing on the expertise of the University of Auckland's New Zealand Leadership Institute and other education providers. The plan sees four hubs in Northland/Auckland, Waikato/Midlands, Lower North Island/Wellington and the South Island, that will co-ordinate activities and disseminate learning across the country. These hubs will align with the regional training hubs that are currently being established.

Ms Wraight and Professor Martin say the importance of the centre will be in the linkages it forms between all health and education organisations working to improve leadership in the health sector.

The centre will not only coordinate existing programmes but commission future programmes, advise on curriculum development and oversee research and evaluation in leadership. The centre's work will be evaluated after two years.

Ms Wraight and Professor Martin describe the centre as an exciting development for New Zealand's healthcare future.