New Board Chair for Pharmac

3 July 2024

Update Kauneke Update Rērere Kōrero

Pharmac’s new Board Chair Paula Bennett is looking forward to making a difference.

Paula Bennett smiles widely - she is wearing a vibrant coloured blazer..

In April, the Associate Minister of Health, Hon David Seymour, appointed Paula Bennett as the new Chair(external link).

Paula Bennett replaces Steve Maharey who resigned late last year. Peter Bramley, who was Acting Board Chair, has returned to his role as Deputy Board Chair.

Her background includes a long political career which included serving as Deputy Prime Minister and as a Cabinet Minister. She brings a wealth of political and governance experience to her new role.

In her current role as the Director of Strategic Advisory at Bayleys Real Estate, she has led engagement with corporate, government and private sector stakeholders.

View transcript

Hi, I'm Paula Bennett and I am the newly appointed Chair of Pharmac, a role that I really wanted.

You know, I got to a stage in life where I just sort of thought, I've got a fairly unique set of experiences and skills and I had a burning desire to still do something that was big, significant, and mattered a lot to New Zealanders - and, man, is Pharmac that!

You know, we are in your everyday lives. Those in our local communities that are going to their pharmacies and up medicines. Pharmac's been involved in that. And then, of course, there are those that are going through significant health issues and again, you know, it's us that can make a difference there.

We've just had a massive announcement that means that we are able to fund a lot more medicines and deliver them for New Zealanders. That's a big workload but one we're going to be working as quickly as we can to get it through the process. Expect to hear more from us on that. We're very excited! It's equally a really important, big piece of work.

On that I've met so many of the Pharmac staff; they are absolutely dedicated. They're in their roles because they want to make a difference.

We want to hear from everyone. We want to be part of the community, we're listening. So please reach out - we'd love to hear from you.

Go well. Let's hear more in the future.

This story is part of our Kauneke Update

The Kauneke Update will keep you informed on important news and progress towards Pharmac's strategic goals. In te reo Māori, kauneke means to develop and move forward.

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