STOP PRESS
The comment below was written before nominations closed. In fact, only 3 of the sitting Otago members are standing again, so my odds are better than I thought!
It's often said that 'turkeys don't vote for an early Christmas', but the members of the Otago and Southland District Health boards did just that when we collectively supported the amalgamation of the two boards, and the creation of the new Southern DHB.
How so? The Southern board elected on October 9th will have 7 elected members, 4 from Otago and 3 from Southland. The disestablished Otago and Southland DHBs had 7 each. The election is at large, across each ward, which means that not only will it be very hard to get elected from rural Otago, but 7 into 4 doesn't go.
Last election, I was the 7th and last to be elected, and by only a handful of preferences. In the mix with high-profile city candidates, my chances of being 4th are very slim.
So I don't expect to be back next time.
Malcolm Macpherson
Monday, August 2, 2010