The next day Simcock emailed Murray with the contact phone number of a Harcourt's lifestyle block real estate agent.
"She is happy to show you what they've got on Saturday so I'll leave it to you to contact her."
Two days later on Saturday, June 21, Simcock wrote again to Murray: "I have the tickets for the rugby tonight. We are guests of the Mayor and the Council [sic]. Dress is smart casual.
"I suggest we aim to get there at 7 to allow time to meet people and chat and eat. I suggest I pick you up from the motel at 6.40."
That was the day after Simcock publicly announced Murray as the new CEO and a month before Murray would start in the role.
Simcock told the Herald today he undertook the role as a "simple human courtesy".
Murray, who was found to have spent $120,000 of taxpayer money that was either unjustified or unauthorised during his three years in the job, eventually booked into a Hamilton hotel with another adult and stayed there for six months, paid for by the DHB.
So far he has paid back more than $74,000, including money he overspent on relocation costs, and the DHB is seeking clarification from the State Services Commission over the other $46,000.
The DHB withheld 12 emails from the timeframe relevant to the OIA request, but those that were released show a collegial working relationship between Simcock and Murray.
State Services Commission investigator John Ombler said Simcock was too trusting of Murray and was let down by him.
Recruitment expert Pierre Lenoel said it wasn't unusual for Simcock to show "humility and hospitality" to the incoming chief executive, however he questioned why it was Simcock making Murray's arrangements rather than the CEO's executive assistant.
"Why wasn't that person being used to facilitate and assist?"
Lenoel, managing director at Stanton Chase recruitment agency, said it was very common for companies that recruited internationally to use a specialist relocation company to help settle high-level employees and their families.
Relocations International NZ director Libby Svensen said her company was regularly engaged by large corporates globally and locally to relocate employees.
The service included airport pickup, finding temporary and permanent accommodation, identifying schools, setting up a home with furniture, use of an immigration consultant, opening bank accounts, obtaining tax numbers and more.
However Svensen said public organisations such as a district health board usually would not pay for a relocation service.
"In my experience with DHBs, and I've only had the odd enquiry over the 23 years I've been running this business, mostly they haven't got the funds.
"And mostly they tend to buddy them up with a senior person, a PA or an employee."
But Svensen said the cost of her service would be offset by the cost of savings made in temporary accommodation costs.
"We would get someone out of short-term accommodation a lot faster than if they were to arrive and do it themselves, or have someone from the business do it.
"So we would be very likely to easily save them at least two weeks' accommodation."
In another email dated June 6, 2014, Simcock sent Murray an announcement he intended putting on the staff intranet naming Murray as the preferred candidate earlier than anticipated.
"I would prefer to have left any announcements about our progress to have waited [sic] until negotiations with our preferred candidate are completed," Simcock told staff.
"Unfortunately I have become aware that someone has chosen to talk to the media about that candidate and they intend to run a story tomorrow.
"In the hope that you read it here before you read it in the newspaper tomorrow I want to tell you that we are in discussions with Dr Nigel Murray MBE."
He went on to say Murray was "currently the chief executive of Fraser Health Authority" in Canada, which turned out to be incorrect.
Murray was fired from the role eight days earlier after a damning review found Fraser Health to be the worst-performing authority in Canada.
But he officially "resigned" the same day Simcock announced him as the frontrunner.
