Mather said he was most looking forward to meeting the communities that the health board served and getting an understanding of what their expectations were.
"This is a sector I'm very new to ... I have done some work with primary Māori health organisations, so I understand the challenges that they face," he said.
"You've got to have a unifying vision of what an organisation is trying to achieve, but you've also got to have a very strong customer orientation and be very clear about the expectations of the community," Mather said.
"I think those are going to be the initial challenges for me in the role."
He said he wanted to focus on making sure everyone in the community was served by the health board.
"I really want to focus on equitable delivery of our health services and making sure we're reaching all parts of our communities."
