The Commission's objective is to contribute to better and equitable mental health and wellbeing outcomes for people in New Zealand. It will perform an enduring role in transforming Aotearoa New Zealand's approach to mental health and wellbeing.
On Wednesday, 14 April 2021, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission held an event to acknowledge the establishment of the Commission, which officially opened its doors on Wednesday, 9 February 2021.
Hon Andrew Little, Minister of Health, Hayden Wano, Chair of the Commission Board, Dean Rangihuna, He Ara Oranga Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry Panel member, and former Mental Health Commissioner, Kevin Allan, spoke at the event.
The Initial Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission's progress report to the Minister of Health, Mā Te Rongo Ake (Through Listening and Hearing), was released on 5 March 2021. Read the report, Mā Te Rongo Ake, [PDF, 7.5 MB] which assesses progress of the Government’s response to He Ara Oranga, the inquiry into mental health and addiction.
To learn more about Mā Te Rongo Ake, visit our website.
As part of its broader wellbeing role, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission has taken on the monitoring and advocacy function for mental health and addiction services from the outgoing Mental Health Commissioner at the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner(external link) (HDC).
HDC acts as an independent watchdog for people’s rights when using health and disability services and will continue to consider and assess people’s complaints relating to mental health and addiction services.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission does not handle complaints about individual or whānau experiences of using mental health and / or addiction services. These complaints are managed by the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC).
People who have concerns about the care they or others have experienced at a mental health or addiction service should still contact the Advocacy Service(external link) or make a complaint to the HDC(external link).
