Urupare mōrearea: Crisis responses monitoring report

This report focuses on crisis responses over a five-year period, from January 2020 to December 2024. Crisis responses form a critical function in ensuring people and whānau who are experiencing crisis get the urgent support they need.  

Our report examines how the current crisis response system is functioning and provides insights on the responses and pathways people and whānau navigate when experiencing crisis. We also define what a good crisis response system could look like for Aotearoa New Zealand. This report makes two recommendations on what needs to happen to improve crisis responses in both the short term and the longer term. 

Our key findings include:

• Crisis services are hard to navigate, fragmented and patchy, and many people don’t get the help they need.
• Fewer people have a recorded crisis activity, however, a higher proportion are urgent, particularly for Māori and young people.
• The system is under significant pressure, with longer wait times for crisis phone lines, people staying longer in services than five years ago and increased complexity of distress and needs.
• Crisis responses vary across the country, and in some areas, there are limited options, pathways and resources – particularly for people experience crises related to substance use.
• We continue to see the impact of workforce shortages, and are concerned about challenges of coordination and consistency of care for tāngata whaiora.

Changes we want to see

In the report, we set out the system changes (based on our key findings) that we want to see to improve crisis response pathways for tāngata whaiora and whānau:

• A well-designed, coordinated national system 
• Crisis responses that are person- and whānau-centred
• Strengthened system enablers and data insights.

Our recommendations

1. Health NZ develops a nationally cohesive, networked crisis response system
by 30 June 2027. This system needs to:

• enable access to a range of options, including 24/7 phone-based crisis support in every district, virtual options, crisis community teams, crisis cafés, crisis respite, acute alternatives, as well as inpatient services when needed. Needs to include youth-specific, peer-led, and Kaupapa Māori options be led by lived experience, embed peer support, be culturally responsive, rights-based, and trauma responsive
• ensure the provision of a timely and compassionate response as well as safe and welcoming places to go
• ensure tāngata whaiora and whānau have access to information about what they can expect when they are experiencing crisis, regardless of where they live
• ensure that responses match the patterns of demand, with comparable quality and timeliness in the evenings and weekends.

2. Health NZ to progress shorter-term actions by 30 June 2026:

• enable nationwide access to 24/7 phone-based crisis support
• develop clear, consistent pathways to crisis services from primary care
• evaluate the outcomes and impact of peer support in ED and crisis cafés.

Published: November 2025