Mental health report reveals concerning rise in coercive practices

Te Hiringa Mahara is calling for focused attention to embed a human-rights approach after a new report revealed rising seclusion rates, particularly for Māori, and uneven progress in reducing coercive practices.

Today’s Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction services regulatory report reinforces the need to reduce coercive practices, which are inconsistent with effective therapeutic care and human rights obligations.

"We know that isolating people in seclusion and treating people compulsorily against their will causes harm and has limited therapeutic value. People with lived experience consistently describe the trauma they experience and the loss of trust in services as a result," says Te Hiringa Mahara Director of Mental Health and Addiction Sector Leadership, Sonya Russell. 

"People experiencing mental health crisis need trauma-informed, culturally safe care that upholds their human rights and promotes supported decision-making.

"Too many people get into services too late when they are experiencing crisis. A robust early crisis response approach is at the heart of an effective mental health and addiction system and we need to get that right. 

"The wide variation between districts in the use of seclusion and compulsory treatment shows what can be achieved with sustained effort and resources. We acknowledge the gains made by these districts.  However, there are districts where rates of seclusion and compulsory treatment are high, so the practices that lead to these rates need immediate attention.  

 "Te Hiringa Mahara has long called for the elimination of seclusion. In June, we recommended Health New Zealand publish a national seclusion elimination plan by June 2027. We reinforced that recommendation in our 'Roadmap for mental health, addiction and wellbeing', released shortly afterwards.

"The Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction services regulatory report also highlights persistent and unacceptable inequities. Māori remain significantly more likely than any other ethnic group to be subject to compulsory assessment, community treatment orders and inpatient treatment orders. Māori men continue to experience the highest rates of compulsory treatment.

"While the new Mental Health Act, passed in July 2026, introduces processes that are better aligned to upholding human rights protection and is a significant step forward, it will not come into force until 1 July 2028. To embed a human rights framework in our mental health and addiction system, we must accelerate efforts to drive practice change and reduce coercive practices. The care people and their whānau receive must be respectful, equitable, uphold their rights and focus on their wellbeing," says Sonya Russell.

Note for editors: 

The Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services Regulatory Report released today covers 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.

• Māori were twice as likely as Pacific peoples to be subject to community treatment orders, 7.7 times as likely as Asian peoples and 3.2 times as likely as other ethnicities. For inpatient orders, Māori were 2.1, 8.6 and 3.2 times as likely, respectively.
• Māori were 6.8 times more likely than non-Māori to be secluded, with their rate rising from 9.6 to 10.2 per 100,000 in 2024/25. 
• The Pacific seclusion rate rose 6%.

* Clear data is required – there are some concerns regarding data reliability with Northland, Lakes and Bay of Plenty having incomplete legal status data on the date extracted - impacting both national and district level data.