Dame Karen Poutasi, first female Director-General of Health, dies aged 76

Dame Karen Poutasi, the first female Director-General of Health, has died at 76. Photo / NZME

By RNZ

One of the country’s top health leaders has died.

Tributes are being paid to Dame Karen Poutasi, who was the first female Director-General of Health.

Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said Poutasi led the implementation of the recommendations from the Cartwright Inquiry, guided New Zealand’s early response to HIV/Aids and saw through significant reform in primary care.

She said Poutasi took on some of the toughest public service assignments, including contributing to the governance of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

She said the qualities that defined her career include professionalism, humility and a no-nonsense approach to getting things done.

Dame Karen was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2020 for her services to education and the state.

She led significant health reforms, including the Cartwright Inquiry recommendations and the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

She was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2006 for her services to health administration.

She worked for 30 years in the health sector, serving as Director-General of Health from 1995 to 2006, and briefly chaired Health New Zealand in 2023-24 after the resignation of Rob Campbell.

Health Minister Simeon Brown said that, in all her various roles, Dame Karen brought a wealth of public health expertise.

“She leaves a strong legacy of work to improve health outcomes for all New Zealanders.

“On behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand, I extend our deepest condolences to Dame Karen’s family and friends.”

Ian Powell, former director of the senior doctors’ union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, said Dame Karen was a woman of high integrity.

“The values she believes in are very good values. A strong sense of public health being a public good and being accessible.

“She was the sort of person who would never backstab or anything like that.

“What she said to me in private meetings was never inconsistent with what she would say in a public forum or publicly. There might be a slightly different emphasis, but no inconsistency. And that always really impressed me.”

He said when dealing with someone over a long time in the health area, particularly someone in a leadership role, there was always going to be differences of view and disagreements but Dame Karen was always thoroughly professional.

Dame Karen was also chief executive of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for 14 years.

She was 76.

-RNZ