Ailsa Claire
Chair, Workforce Taskforce Group

Ailsa Claire was appointed as Chief Executive of Auckland District Health Board in October 2012. Auckland District is a large and complex organisation employing approximately 11,000 staff, supporting the central Auckland population to achieve the health outcomes they want for themselves, their whānau, community and providing services or commissioning for them.  It is also the provider of national services, the provider of last resort, provides acute and tertiary services for the northern region and is the largest health research and training organisation outside the university sector.
Ailsa has been asked to act as the interim Workforce lead for Interim Health New Zealand from 1 June 2022 and to lead the Workforce Task Group.

Ailsa is a New Zealander who returned home after a career in the United Kingdom’s health system. There she managed large provider and commissioning organisations as well as undertaking national roles and positions on Ministerial Advisory Committees. 
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Her passion is for enabling individuals to achieve self-directed care and for staff to do their life’s best work in an organisation providing value-based care to patients.
Ailsa has a BA (University of Canterbury) and an MA in Health Services Management (Nuffield Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Leeds).  She was appointed OBE for services to healthcare.​

Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) Workforce update

Like every other country Aotearoa is experiencing a workforce challenge. If we keep on trying to do what we always have done, including relying on overseas recruitment to fill the gaps, the challenge will be never ending. There is no magic bullet, but we can do better than we have done to date.