Search

Published: 1 October, 2020

and Pacific communities. People told us: Support starts and continues with people and communities, not services. The former Mental Health Commissioner’s framework was viewed as being too narrow but was something that could be refined and built upon. The voices of Māori and tāngata whaiora are crucial

Published: August 2025

Statement, updated in 2025, outlines what we will do to uphold these commitments to lived experience communities. In all our work, we prioritise the voices and interests of people who experience mental distress, substance harm, gambling harm or addiction. Through our Lived Experience Position

Published: 29 October, 2024

Last week we welcomed the passing by Parliament of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) (Improving Mental Health Outcomes) Amendment Bill. This amendment requires that the Minister for Mental Health produce a mental health and wellbeing strategy for Aotearoa New Zealand within 12 months. The Bill was

Published: 10 July, 2025

Te Hiringa Mahara hosted a webinar outlining findings from our 2025 Assessment of wellbeing for people who interact with mental health and addiction services .     Webinar - Achieving equitable wellbeing outcomes for tāngata whaiora: what we know, what needs to change recording. The

Published: 9 April, 2025

statement in response to planned changes. People in acute mental health distress need access to the services and help they need in a timely way. Strengthening the health led crisis responses is the right direction to head. We are keeping a close eye on the implementation of changes being made by NZ

Published: 3 April, 2025

The purpose of this report is to monitor the progress and achievements of the Access and Choice programmes over the five-year period from 2019/20 to 2023/24. The report finds that, after five years, the Access and Choice programme has substantially increased access to and choice in services for

Published: 18 February, 2025

Data released today by Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission shows that fewer people accessed specialist mental health and addiction services in the year from July 2023 to June 2024 than in previous years. Recently available data shows a decrease of over 3,000 fewer people than

Published: 23 October, 2024

Government recently announced that six new Crisis Recovery Cafés will be rolled out around the country over the next two years. The benefits of this type of care model are examined in our recently released insights paper on acute options for mental health care. Our Lived Experience team prepared

Published: August 2025

We currently have two Lived Experience Advisors whose job is to support connections with tāngata whaiora and lived experience communities and provide advice on all of the work of Te Hiringa Mahara.  Saskia Ymker Saskia Ymker (she/her) is Kaitohu Mātāmua Wheako Ora | Principal Advisor Lived

Published: 23 May, 2024

analysis of well-established and respected data sources used across government to inform policy-making.  And a qualitative aspect which provides case studies of initiatives that are succeeding in promoting Pacific Peoples’ mental health and wellbeing, which may act as a model for future work