Search

Published: 18 August, 2022

Transforming the mental health and addiction system must remain a priority as Aotearoa New Zealand continues to deal with the fallout from the pandemic, writes Karen Orsborn. COVID-19 is one of the most significant societal events many of us will experience in our lives. It is not over yet

Published: June 2026

peer support workforce, overall, there is a system under significant pressure. Unmet need for mental health and addiction services has increased with Māori, Pacific peoples, young people, and disabled people experiencing much higher unmet need. There are promising signs that the system is beginning to

Published: 1 October, 2020

experience focus groups (from Māori, youth, mental health, addiction, and gambling harm perspectives), targeted discussions, and hui with Māori helped us develop the draft version of He Ara Āwhina. The draft version of He Ara Āwhina went out for public consultation for six weeks from 8 March to 19 April

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: 28 May, 2026

work well for Māori, young people or those living rurally in particular. This is unlikely to change without investment. "Last November we welcomed the additional funding announced by Minister Doocey for expansion of crisis cafes, crisis assessment teams and peer-led acute alternatives. This was a

Published: 25 March, 2026

Following the release of the Government’s latest targets data this morning, Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission is renewing its calls for increased urgency to improve access to services for young people. “While we are encouraged by workforce growth and acknowledge the

Published: January 2026

Briefing to the Incoming Minister February 2025 Following the changes to the Minister for Health and Minister for Youth in February 2025, Te Hiringa Mahara -- Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission provided the following briefings to the incoming Ministers. Read and download our Briefing to the

Published: 5 November, 2025

see access to peer services is being expanded”. The report released yesterday by Te Hiringa Mahara – Ururpare mōrearea: Crisis responses monitoring report – shows people seeking help and their whānau find current crisis services hard to navigate. We are calling for a nationally cohesive system to be

Published: 7 August, 2025

In July 2025 the Commission began operating under a refreshed organisational strategy that sets out how we work and what we will deliver over the next four years. Our approach is documented in our 2025-2029 Statement of Intent and 2025/26 Statement of Performance Expectations, along with a new

Published: April 2026

measures in the dashboard. The most recent data available is for the financial year 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025. The list of the 76 measures, data source, and what part of the framework they can be found in is available here (XSL 29KB) . We continue to refine the measure set used to monitor