Pharmac/ACC chairman and former Labour minister in hot water for public political comments [Video]

Current Pharmac and ACC chairman Steve Maharey is likely to conclude his column-writing days in light of the controversy caused by former Te Whatu Ora chairman Rob Campbell, who was let go from the role last week.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, speaking at his post-Cabinet press conference this afternoon, confirmed Maharey had contacted his office as a result of the Campbell saga that prompted a national conversation about the need for chairs of public entities to be impartial.

A recent LinkedIn post by Campbell criticising National’s Three Waters strategy and charging the party with a “dog whistle on co-governance” led to him being fired as chairman of Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand and the Environmental Protection Authority.

Maharey, a former Labour Education and Social Development Minister, writes a regular column for Stuff.co.nz.

In one column he wrote in January, Maharey claimed “nothing seems new or fresh about the team National is offering” and likened the party to …