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Published: 31 May, 2023

More people are accessing new services through the Access and Choice programme, however, there has been a decrease in people accessing specialist mental health and addiction services and other primary mental health services, and little or no change on other measures of service quality. This is

Published: 17 May, 2023

Too many young people experiencing acute mental distress are being admitted to adult inpatient mental health services, and this practice needs to stop. This is according to today’s Te Hiringa Mahara – the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission report Te Huringa Tuarua 2023: Youth services focus

Published: 15 May, 2023

The mental health and wellbeing of rangatahi Māori and young people is one of the most important issues we can focus on today. We only need to acknowledge increasing levels of distress, and the many well-known barriers to wellbeing, to understand that much more needs to be done to support young

Published: 9 March, 2023

During the 2020 national lockdown, reports of family violence increased considerably, but the New Zealand Police and advocacy groups were concerned that this was still under-reported. Women, children, rangatahi Māori, disabled people and rainbow youth were particularly affected. This is according

Published: 27 October, 2022

Te Hiringa Mahara Chief Executive Karen Orsborn has welcomed today’s release of the  second report of the Health Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) on the impact of COVID-19 on health with its dedicated chapter on the impacts on people’s mental health and use of mental health

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: January 2026

In 2018, government commissioned an independent inquiry into mental health and addiction in Aotearoa New Zealand. The inquiry brought together thousands of voices to paint a picture of the mental health and addictions landscape, giving life to He Ara Oranga: Report of the Government Inquiry into

Published: December 2025

Asessment of progress report downloads Read our assessment of recommendations made in the Kua Tīmata Te Haerenga | The Journey Has Begun service monitoring report. December 2025. As an Independent Crown Entity, Te Hiringa Mahara - Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission uses a variety of tools to

Published: 10 October, 2022

Te Hiringa Mahara is producing a series of short reports during 2022 and 2023 to add our collective understanding of the wellbeing impacts of the pandemic and to provide key insights on wellbeing areas or populations of focus. Media reporting of COVID-19 Our first report Media reporting of COVID-19

Published: August 2025

We currently have two Lived Experience Advisors whose job is to support connections with tāngata whaiora and lived experience communities and provide advice on all of the work of Te Hiringa Mahara.  Saskia Ymker Saskia Ymker (she/her) is Kaitohu Mātāmua Wheako Ora | Principal Advisor Lived