Search

Published: 7 August, 2025

Strategy on a page. Since our establishment in February 2021, we have continued to act in our role as a kaitiaki of mental health, addiction and wellbeing. We have built a strong knowledge base and our reports, and other work, are highly valued by our key stakeholders. With the period covered by the

Published: February 2026

Mental health and addiction system performance monitoring report downloads | June 2025 Download the system performance monitoring report outlining six key shifts to transform our mental health and addiction system. Report As an independent monitor of the mental health and wellbeing system, we

Published: 16 February, 2024

Recommendations in the Meeting the mental health needs of young New Zealanders report released yesterday by the Auditor General show there is a long way to go to ensure every young person who needs support can access it.  “We’ve got to do everything we can to ensure rangatahi and young people

Published: 25 March, 2026

sustained leadership embedded to ensure lasting, meaningful change,” says Ms Russell. The Commission has recommended that Health NZ take action to improve access to specialist mental health and addiction services for young people, including youth-specific crisis responses, streamlined pathways into

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: 27 June, 2024

More evidence of the state of New Zealand youth mental health — Youth and rangatahi wellbeing and access to services assessment — has been released today and shows that while most youth and rangatahi are doing well, there is a steady decline in youth wellbeing in comparison to older age groups more

Published: August 2025

Te Hiringa Mahara - Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission is a kaitiaki (guardian) of mental health and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our history We were established as a result of He Ara Oranga, the 2018 inquiry into mental health and addiction , as an independent Crown entity at arms-length

Published: 3 April, 2025

provides an overview of the implementation of Access and Choice,  primary mental health care programme.  The report finds that the Access and Choice programme has increased the access to and choice in services for people with mild to moderate mental health and addiction needs. This has

Published: 10 July, 2025

-for-profits, and wider government. For more than 30 years, he has researched and published extensively in the area of Māori health, with a specialist interest in health outcome measurement (psychometrics), Māori mental health, longitudinal research, public health and health service delivery. He is currently leading New Zealand’s largest dedicated programme of Māori mental health research – Te Aratiatia ki te Hauora.

Published: 28 October, 2021

wellbeing systems in Aotearoa,” says Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Board chair Hayden Wano. “Our role is to be the eyes and ears of the people of New Zealand, amplifying the voices of our communities. We bring focus to areas where meaningful action can be taken. Appropriate access to and choice