Medical Council leadership change

The NZ Women in Medicine Charitable Trust (NZWIM) acknowledges the leadership of Dr Rachelle Love during her time as Chair of Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand.

Dr Love's tenure has coincided with important work to strengthen the profession's understanding of cultural competence, cultural safety, hauora Māori, and the obligations of doctors practising in Aotearoa New Zealand. This work is integral to patient safety, professionalism, clinical standards, and equitable care.

NZWIM is concerned by the framing of this work as ideological. The medical profession has a responsibility to examine evidence, reflect on inequities in health outcomes, and uphold standards that support safe, effective, ethical, and patient-centred care.

The Medical Council's role is to protect the public, uphold standards, and support and regulate a competent and ethical medical workforce. To do this effectively, it must be able to operate independently. This is essential to public trust in the medical profession as a whole.

Cultural competence and cultural safety require clinicians to understand how culture, bias, power, access, health literacy, whānau context, and systemic barriers influence the care patients receive and the outcomes they experience. In a medical workforce that includes many internationally trained doctors, the Council's role in setting clear standards and guidance for practitioners is essential.

We recognise that Medical Council members include those formally appointed by the Minister of Health, and members elected by the medical profession. The Chair is elected by Council members. These arrangements are designed to balance public accountability with professional independence. Any perception that regulatory leadership can be changed because its standards or public statements are politically inconvenient should concern the profession and the public alike.

We call for transparency about the reasons for this leadership change, and for clear assurance that the independence of the Medical Council, and of all health professional regulators, will be protected.

NZWIM supports a clinician-led, values-based medical profession grounded in integrity, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, evidence, equity, and a patient-first approach. At a time when reforms to health practitioner regulation are being considered, the independence of responsible authorities must be protected, not weakened.

We acknowledge Dr Love's contribution to this work and thank her for her leadership as the first wāhine Māori Chair of the Council.