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Published: 31 March, 2026

Following the release of the Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services: Regulatory Report today, Te Hiringa Mahara is renewing its call for improvements to address concerning trends for Māori and Pacific peoples. The report shows Māori are 6.6 times, and Pacific peoples are 1.7

Published: 20 May, 2025

are failing to address well-established high rates of suicide and mental distress among our young people as a nation. There is overwhelming evidence to show that psychological distress and mental wellbeing for young people is declining over time. New Zealand’s high suicide rates was one of the

Published: 21 March, 2024

models of care and addressing wider workforce shortages. It’s important that the Māori lived experience workforce, who bring a Te Ao Māori perspective, are included in planning.”   The Commission has provided advice to the Minister for Mental Health that will address other pressure points

Published: 4 July, 2024

The announcement of targets to address wait times and workforce pressures across the mental health and addiction system has been welcomed by Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission. “Access to appropriate services when and where they are needed is very important to people seeking

Published: 18 February, 2025

Government and health agencies to accelerate improvement in a range of critical areas. This included a call for Health NZ to develop a mental health and addiction workforce plan to address service capacity and workforce shortages by June 2025. “We will be keeping a close watch on access and will

Published: 22 March, 2022

more is needed to address pressures on specialist services, particularly for young people. “The current health reforms, and the newly-created Health NZ and the Māori Health Authority, provide opportunities to embed strong leadership in their operating models and enhance the focus on mental health and

Published: February 2026

-making legislative framework for specialist mental health care. Regarding policy objectives, we welcome the Bill’s express purposes, principles underpinning limited use of “compulsory care”, and recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. These important changes will partially address policy problems of

Published: 23 May, 2024

is one solution to addressing the gap between mental health and wellbeing outcomes for Pacific peoples in comparison to the rest of Aotearoa. “Holistic on-the-ground support is what makes the difference for Pacific families – we need to make it easier for people to access a range of services from

Published: December 2025

. 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.   &nbsp

Published: January 2026

For any questions or feedback about Te Hiringa Mahara - Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, you can contact us at kiaora@mhwc.govt.nz . Our postal address is: Te Hiringa Mahara, DX Box SP22502, Wellington. For media queries, contact  media@mhwc.govt.nz  or call 021 613 723. For