Better mental health and wellbeing for our people
Te Hiringa Mahara is kaitiaki of mental health and wellbeing.
We contribute to better and equitable mental health and wellbeing outcomes for all people in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Nau mai, haere mai | Welcome
Te Hiringa Mahara (Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission) is kaitiaki of mental health and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. We were established as a result of He Ara Oranga, the 2018 inquiry into mental health and addiction, as an independent Crown entity at arms-length from the government of the day.
Our objective is to contribute to better and equitable mental health and wellbeing outcomes for all people in Aotearoa. We perform an enduring role in transforming Aotearoa New Zealand's approach to mental health and wellbeing. We have made a strong commitment to ground our work in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes for Māori and whānau. This is front and centre of who we are and what we do.
We are committed to prioritising the voices of people who experience mental distress, substance harm, gambling harm or addiction, and advocating for their needs and aspirations.
Hauora hinengaro: He ara tūroa - Mental health and wellbeing is an enduring pathway 2025 conference
We are partnering with TheMHS Learning Network Inc based in Australia to host an annual event. The theme for the 2025 conference is ‘Waenga mōrearea: He ara oranga - Amidst crisis and distress there are pathways to wellbeing’. Register now.
When: Wednesday 5 November 2025.
Where: Waipuna Hotel, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
New assessment reveals wellbeing inequities for people who interact with mental health and addiction services
This assessment shows people who interact with mental health and addiction services face greater barriers to wellbeing compared to those who don’t interact with services. Published June 2025.
Mental health and addiction system performance report
This report provides monitoring findings on the performance of the mental health and addiction system. We do this through presenting a shared view of what a good mental health and addiction system looks like, monitoring against six key system shifts to drive real change and deliver better outcomes. Published June 2025.
He Ara Āwhina dashboard
He Ara Āwhina dashboard pulls together data about many aspects of New Zealand’s mental health and addiction services. The most recent data available is for the financial year 1 July 2023 – 30 June 2024. Updated June 2025.
Mental health and addiction service monitoring
Two new data summaries provide updated data on access and trends for mental health and addiction services, with the second one focused on addiction specialist services. Published May 2025.
New monitoring report on Access and Choice
Access and Choice Programme: Monitoring report on progress and achievements at five years is our 2025 monitoring report on the Access and Choice programme that was rolled out in 2019. Published April 2025.
Kawepūrongo me ngā Rauemi | News and resources
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Webinar - Achieving equitable wellbeing outcomes for tāngata whaiora: what we know, what needs to change
12:30pm Thursday 31 July 2025.
Register now! -
Holding a mirror up to the mental health and addiction system
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Pressure on addiction treatment services highlighted