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Published: 29 October, 2024

passed into law with unanimous support from MPs. When the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill was introduced in October 2021, we advocated for the inclusion of a mental health and addiction strategy under the legislation. While six other strategies were specified, mental health and addiction was not included

Published: 15 December, 2025

When people gathered at the Hauora hinengaro: He ara tūroa conference in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in early November, it was a first for more than one reason. The day-long event was the first-time people from across the mental health and addiction sector have met to look at how crisis responses are

Published: 27 June, 2024

24-year-olds experienced psychological distress. This is higher than other age groups, and it has risen over time. In 2022/23, double the number of youth, in comparison to other age groups, did not receive professional mental health support when they felt they needed it. The analysis also showed

Published: 25 February, 2026

high psychological distress, our findings show fewer were seen by specialist services in the most recent year, and wait times show little sign of improvement. “We are not alone in sounding the alarm, yet we continue to see too many young people missing out on vital specialist mental health and

Published: 11 June, 2025

Mahara outlines progress toward improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes for New Zealanders and shows the need to speed up much needed improvements across the system. “Efforts to improve the system over the past six years have shown some early positive movement however these changes are not yet

Published: 10 July, 2023

  People in mental distress and their whānau do not feel heard in clinical review and court processes that lead to enforced treatment a report released today by Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission shows.  The Lived Experiences of Compulsory Community Treatment

Published: February 2026

evenings and weekends. 2. Health NZ to progress shorter-term actions by 30 June 2026: enable nationwide access to 24/7 phone-based crisis support develop clear, consistent pathways to crisis services from primary care evaluate the outcomes and impact of peer support in ED and crisis cafés. Published: November 2025 

Published: August 2025

from the government of the day. An Initial Commission was set-up in November 2019 to start on high priority projects and begin setting up the new organisation.  The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Act 2020 was passed in June 2020, and we began to fulfil our new legislative functions in

Published: 11 May, 2023

Commission report, Exercising rangatiratanga during the COVID-19 pandemic [PDF, 10 MB] . “Māori exercising rangatiratanga during the pandemic showed that Māori have knowledge and skills to support not only the wellbeing of their whānau and communities, but also the wider response,” says Te Hiringa

Published: 2 February, 2022

we get the foundation right, now. A proper foundation will ensure that people’s lived experiences of mental distress and challenges are heard upfront and robustly challenge the fairness of the existing system”, says Wano. “The Bill could say a lot more about mental health, addiction and