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Published: 22 March, 2022

investment in mental health and addiction services through the 2019 Wellbeing Budget, improvements in services have not materialised as we had hoped for over this time,” says Commission Board Chair Hayden Wano. “We commend the investment in additional, and much needed, primary and community services, but

Published: 20 April, 2026

It is one year since the Mental Health Bill was returned to Parliament for its second reading, and Te Hiringa Mahara is calling on the Government to ensure this is passed into law this year. On 17 April 2025, the Health Select Committee handed the Bill back to Parliament to be finalised. Since then

Published: 25 June, 2025

Our first assessment comparing status of wellbeing for people who interact with mental health and addiction services reveals significant inequities across economic, social and cultural indicators. People who interact with mental health and addiction services experience systemic disadvantage in

Published: June 2026

roadmap for a strong mental health system Support the mental health and wellbeing of young people We need to see: Improved access to mental health and addiction services for youth; MHA specialist services, youth Access and Choice services and acute community options. Online safety education rolled

Published: 8 August, 2025

We’ve put the key mental health and addiction findings from the NZ Health Survey 2023/2024 into one, easy to read summary. We intend for this information to be used as evidence to support planning and investment, and to direct resources where they are most needed to improve mental health and

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: 4 July, 2024

help and their whānau. These targets will help focus effort on making sure services are available,” says Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Board chair Hayden Wano. “In our briefing to incoming Ministers we made a strong case for mental health and addiction targets to be developed, so it is

Published: 25 February, 2026

addiction outcomes. Overall, the data shows an increase in psychological distress, and unmet need for mental health and substance use care remaining similar to the previous year. Hazardous drinking has continued to decrease. In general, findings show significant disparities for disabled adults and Māori

Published: March 2026

A think tank convened by Te Hiringa Mahara created space for ‘blue sky’ thinking about the future role primary and community care can play in supporting people with mental health and substance use needs. To share the outcome of the think tank workshop held in August 2025, we have published a short