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Published: 13 December, 2023

its first ever Minister for Mental Health sitting in Cabinet is a welcome move. This dedicated role will bring a clear focus to mental health and addiction, and we are looking forward to tangible action and increased momentum over the coming term of government. But where should the new minister start

Published: February 2026

unacknowledged and under-valued however it has been shown to improve hope, psychosocial outcomes and quality of life for tāngata whaiora. In recent years there has been a marginal increase in the size of the peer support workforce (an increase of 64 FTE or 18% between 2018 and 2022) but it still makes up only 3.4% of the wider mental health and addictions workforce. 

Published: 21 March, 2024

The announcement today by the Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey that a new mental health and addiction peer support service will be set up in hospital emergency departments is a positive move.   “People who are experiencing mental distress who arrive at an emergency department will

Published: 29 August, 2023

Report The Initial Commission’s interim report, He Ara Oranga - Mānuka Takoto, Kawea Ake / Upholding the Wero Laid in He Ara Oranga, was published in June 2020. It provided a check-in on progress of Government's response to He Ara Oranga, the inquiry into mental health and addiction. It focused on

Published: 27 June, 2023

‘mental disorder’ in any year. However only 11 per cent of current mental health and addiction expenditure is on Kaupapa services,” says Te Hiringa Mahara Board Chair Hayden Wano.  “Māori make up 17 per cent of the population and have higher levels of mental distress than other population

Published: February 2026

levels of need experienced by these population groups. There has been high uptake of services, with rangatahi and young people making up 20% of people accessing the Access and Choice Programme and Māori making up 27%.  We outline the changes we want to see and make three recommendations. These

Published: 30 September, 2024

New Zealand is a step closer to getting accurate information about the level of mental health need in the community. Matt Doocey, Minister for Mental Health, announced on 26 September that the Government will fund the first Child and Youth Mental Health and Addiction Prevalence survey. This is in

Published: 17 June, 2020

and we will continue working together to ensure that their duties are transferred seamlessly to the permanent Commission,” says Mr Wano. The Initial Commission is releasing a report, Upholding the Wero Laid in He Ara Oranga, on Thursday 25 June 2020. This report describes progress of Government’s response to He Ara Oranga and offers advice for Government to consider in these early days of system transformation.

Published: 1 October, 2020

mental health services and addiction services, what we should include in our monitoring approach, and how we should go about our monitoring work. Ninety-seven individuals and groups gave feedback through a discussion document, at lived experience focus groups, as well as hui and talanoa with Māori

Published: 20 May, 2025

Gains – Child Wellbeing at Risk in an Unpredictable World .  Recent findings from the new UNICEF report show worsening youth mental health in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is not new information but seeing how we measure up internationally clearly tells us that we are simply not doing enough. We