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Published: 25 June, 2026

The Minister for Mental Health Hon Matt Doocey has announced changes to the composition of the Board of Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission. The current chair Hayden Wano is standing down in July. The independent crown entity’s new chairperson is Dr Barbara Disley, and Dr

Published: 4 November, 2025

Crisis responses are a critical part of an effective mental health system, and we are calling for a nationally cohesive approach to crisis responses to be developed by June 2027. In Aotearoa New Zealand, we have a collection of services with components that are working well. Elements of a good

Published: 15 April, 2026

A once‑in‑a‑decade Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy has been released for public consultation, and Te Hiringa Mahara is calling on New Zealanders to help shape the final document. The strategy will set the direction for mental health and wellbeing across Aotearoa for more than a decade, making

Published: 31 March, 2026

Following the release of the Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services: Regulatory Report today, Te Hiringa Mahara is renewing its call for improvements to address concerning trends for Māori and Pacific peoples. The report shows Māori are 6.6 times, and Pacific peoples are 1.7

Published: 16 June, 2022

have no therapeutic value, and called for investment that will provide the choice of services needed to enhance safety for all. Karen Orsborn: Time to end coercive practices in mental health care OPINION: People in Aotearoa New Zealand experiencing significant mental distress continue to be subject

Published: 20 May, 2025

Aotearoa New Zealand is included in a new report from Unicef that provides critical insight into child wellbeing in the world’s wealthier countries between 2018-2022. Dr Ella Cullen, Director Wellbeing System Leadership and Insights, reflects on our country’s poor ranking in Report Card 19: Fragile

Published: 12 June, 2024

The Leadership as a mental wellbeing system enabler: Insights on progress toward Kia Manawanui report focuses on one aspect of the ‘long-term pathway’ to transform Aotearoa’s approach to mental health and wellbeing. The purpose of this report is to provide an assessment of and insights about system

Published: 5 June, 2024

On 5 June 2024, we released Kua Tīmata Te Haerenga | The Journey Has Begun —our latest monitoring report on mental health and addiction services. This report focuses on access to mental health and addiction services and options available over the five-year period from July 2018 to June 2023. &nbsp

Published: 6 October, 2022

A narrow focus on mental health may prevent us from understanding the broader wellbeing impacts of COVID-19 in Aotearoa, Te Hiringa Mahara – the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission - has found in its first report on the impact of the pandemic on wellbeing. “For people to flourish and experience

Published: 27 January, 2022

As New Zealand faces community transmission of the Omicron variant, too many people who experience mental distress or addictions remain unvaccinated. The total New Zealand vaccination rates are now very high, with over one million people boosted and 93% of the eligible population double vaccinated