Search

Published: 30 June, 2022

About the framework We have created a framework called  He Ara Āwhina , which means pathways to support. He Ara Āwhina describes what an ideal mental health and addiction system looks like. This will be used to assess, monitor, and advocate for improvements to the mental health and

Published: February 2026

orders are reduced and eventually phased out* increased reporting on how the Act is implemented. Reducing coercive practices The policy problems that the Bill is intended to address are well known - issues related to mental health services’ use of coercive practices that are inconsistent with human

Published: 18 August, 2022

of their contracts. This has created an opportunity to provide support to people who may not have received it otherwise. However, while access to specialist services has not changed since the beginning of the pandemic, the Ministry of Health has reported people experiencing increased levels of

Published: December 2025

approach to using these two tools. Every year we will provide an assessment of progress by responsible agencies towards recommendations we have made. The first assessment is being published in December 2025.  Download:  Our tools to create system change (PDF,  70KB)   Assessment of

Published: September 2023

wellbeing outcomes framework shows how wellbeing will be achieved from both a te ao Māori perspective and a shared perspective, which also applies to Māori. Wellbeing will be achieved when all people, their whānau (families) and hapori (communities) experience: From a te ao Māori perspective: Tino

Published: May 2026

happen to improve crisis responses in both the short term and the longer term.  Our key findings include: Crisis services are hard to navigate, fragmented and patchy, and many people don’t get the help they need. Fewer people have a recorded crisis activity, however, a higher proportion are urgent

Published: August 2025

We have promised to uphold a ‘nothing about us, without us’ approach and to work together to improve wellbeing and transform the mental health and addiction system. We monitor lived experience leadership and participation across the system and advocate for improvement. Our Lived Experience Position

Published: 31 May, 2023

Pacific peoples. All services need to urgently address these inequities, and we want to see more by Māori, for Māori approaches, such as kaupapa Māori services There have been substantial increases in medication dispensing, particularly for young people, and this warrants investigation whether

Published: 5 June, 2024

important questions about why there is a disconnect between an increasing need for mental health and addiction support and a decrease in people accessing specialist services. We continue to hear about barriers, such as long waiting lists, not knowing how or where to get support, the stigma of

Published: 13 December, 2023

;  We are proud of the work we have done to highlight what is important for the wellbeing of rangatahi and young people in Aotearoa. By drawing on what rangatahi and young people have shared with us and a review of literature we identified four major themes that need action to improve wellbeing