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Published: 29 May, 2025

New analysis shows a 10.5% reduction in the number of people accessing addiction treatment services over the last five years raising concerns about whether there is sufficient capacity to respond to an increase in demand.  “Recent reports show drug use has increased, yet over the past five

Published: 13 December, 2023

.   Building on the voices of thousands of people who contributed to the landmark Mental Health and Addictions Inquiry, and people we’ve heard from since being established in early 2021, these are our priorities for the new minister: provide more mental health services specifically designed

Published: 17 May, 2023

pleased to see considerable reduction in the rate of young people admitted to adult inpatient services over the last decade.  However, systemic changes are required, with committed leadership and a detailed action plan for responding to young people experiencing crisis and acute distress

Published: February 2026

health of New Zealanders and has come a long way in a difficult environment over the last five years, we believe concerted efforts are needed to expand its reach further. The programme provides tailored services for rangatahi and young people, Māori, and Pacific peoples – aligned with the higher

Published: January 2026

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Published: 14 June, 2021

clearly to those voices over the last 18 months, particularly people and whānau with lived experience of mental distress and addiction. Through the reporting of the Initial Commission, she advocated strongly for the community’s call for system transformation to be prioritised and advanced by Government

Published: 25 June, 2020

, it presents challenges and opportunities for the mental health and wellbeing system." "We would like to encourage the system to pause, reflect and embrace the strengths that emerged in the last few months, such as collaboration, high trust and a shared understanding of need and outcomes. Our response to COVID-19 has shown that together, we can achieve great things. Let’s not lose this,” says Mr Wano. You can read the report on our website .

Published: 24 November, 2022

wellbeing, 32% of 15-year-olds did not feel like they belonged in school and 17% of people reported experiencing discrimination in the last year. “The latest report from the Treasury also points out that the total growth in mental distress across all people in Aotearoa has been borne mainly by young

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: 13 December, 2023

annual report available for download.    A big emphasis in the last year has been on solidifying our monitoring approach and laying the foundation for our advocacy. We published Te Huringa Tuarua, a detailed report on services, along with four insights papers exploring youth services