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Published: 17 September, 2021

intent. We urge the Select Committee to listen carefully to the voices of rainbow communities, including trans people, those with variations of sex characteristics (sometimes known as intersex), and non-binary people, and their calls to clarify and strengthen areas of the Bill,” says Kevin Hague

Published: 27 October, 2022

services. “As the Commission notes, the arrival of the Omicron variant has exposed long-standing, fundamental weaknesses in our health system. There is little capacity in the mental health system to cope with shocks, there are entrenched inequities in access to services and better outcomes experienced by

Published: 11 June, 2025

Mental Health and Addiction (He Ara Oranga Report). The new report describes progress using data taken from a variety of sources. This first report is an initial step assessing performance and will be further refined in coming years. We will continue monitoring system performance and recommend

Published: January 2026

Executive of Te Hiringa Mahara. During 2020, Karen led the establishment of Te Hiringa Mahara as Head of Secretariat for the Initial Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission. Karen has held a variety of health management and leadership roles that focus on improving outcomes for people through working

Published: 13 December, 2023

;  The challenges to progress are not confined to the size of the health budget. Having a workforce equipped to handle the challenges across all population groups is a top priority. We are calling for a detailed workforce plan to reduce clinical vacancies, and create a greater role for peer support

Published: February 2026

peer support and lived experience workforce in enabling recovery, improving hope and in transforming the landscape of mental health and addiction services. The potential of this workforce is yet to be fully realised.  Key findings in the paper include: The peer support approach and its values are

Published: 21 March, 2024

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.  “The peer support approach and values are critical to transforming

Published: 20 April, 2026

updated law will set a new standard for care. Delays are putting the intended commencement date, currently set for July 2027, at risk.   “Still, too many people experience compulsory community treatment and seclusion in our mental health services, and there is wide variation between districts with

Published: 9 April, 2025

safety for everyone involved. We are aware the state of readiness for transition varies around the country. The teams working at the frontline know their community and need to be trusted to respond in the best way. This lends itself to a phased, regional approach, where different parts of the country

Published: 8 June, 2023

they connected with family, community, church and culture.  “The pandemic highlighted the value of connectedness to maintaining Pacific communities’ health and wellbeing. Throughout the worse periods of the pandemic, Pacific people drew on their connections to provide flexible and practical