Tools to create system change

As an Independent Crown Entity, Te Hiringa Mahara - Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission uses a variety of tools to create system change including engagement, monitoring, and advocacy.

Making recommendations and calls to action are two closely related tools that we use to highlight the changes we want to see to improve the system's effectiveness, efficiency and adequacy. In the attached document we describe the approach to using these two tools.

Every year we will provide an assessment of progress by responsible agencies towards recommendations we have made. The first assessment is being published in December 2025. 

Download: Our tools to create system change (PDF,  70KB) 

Assessment of progress - implementation of Kua Tīmata Te Haerenga | The Journey Has Begun recommendations, December 2025  

Te Hiringa Mahara is committed to following up on progress towards and achievement of the recommendations we make in our monitoring reports.  

In June 2024, five recommendations to improve access to mental health and addiction services were included in the 2024 mental health and addiction service monitoring report Kua Tīmata Te Haerenga | The Journey Has Begun.  

Te Hiringa Mahara is now reporting on the answer to the question: How much has been achieved towards the recommendations set out in Kua Tīmata Te Haerenga | The Journey Has Begun for completion by 30 June 2025? 

The responsible agencies were asked to assess progress and provide evidence for their assessment. The assessment covered both how much had been done to achieve the recommendation and how well it had been done.  

This progress report illustrates that substantial progress has been made overall. Having a plan to grow the workforce and address workforce shortages, improve prevalence information, and create better data systems will provide a solid foundation for enabling system changes that are most effective in improving access and addressing gaps to mental health and addiction services.    

There are two recommendations that need further work, particularly ensuring that services meet the needs of population groups who are not always well served by mental health and addiction services— Māori, and young people.