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Published: 8 April, 2026

Consultation by the Ministry of Health on the first, national Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy began on 8 April 2026. We would like everyone to share their views and make their voices heard. Te Hiringa Mahara has provided independent advice to the Minister for Mental Health on the development

Published: August 2025

Te Hiringa Mahara - Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission is a kaitiaki (guardian) of mental health and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our history We were established as a result of He Ara Oranga, the 2018 inquiry into mental health and addiction , as an independent Crown entity at arms-length

Published: 30 April, 2026

Te Hiringa Mahara is kicking off Youth Week 2026 with a webinar focusing on the power of co-design for rangatahi and youth mental health.  Register now!! The ‘Power of co-design for rangatahi and youth mental health’ webinar will present the key findings from our early intervention and

Published: 9 April, 2025

On 8 April the NZ Police and Health NZ made a joint announcement about Mental Health Response Changes.  With Phase One complete, the agencies Phase Two will now start from 14 April with both agencies agreeing to a staged implementation across districts. Te Hiringa Mahara has made this

Published: February 2026

Access and Choice Programme report 2025 downloads Download the full Access and Choice Programme: Monitoring report on progress and achievements at five years, Kaupapa Māori primary mental health services infographic, summary and literature scan. Report Access and Choice Programme report webinar On

Published: January 2024

Lived Experience Learn about our commitment to being an advocate for communities with lived experience of mental distress and addiction. Advocacy Learn about our advocacy work. Mental Health and Addiction System Learn about how we independently monitor, assess, report and share findings on mental

Published: 20 April, 2026

It is one year since the Mental Health Bill was returned to Parliament for its second reading, and Te Hiringa Mahara is calling on the Government to ensure this is passed into law this year. On 17 April 2025, the Health Select Committee handed the Bill back to Parliament to be finalised. Since then

Published: 25 June, 2025

Our first assessment comparing status of wellbeing for people who interact with mental health and addiction services reveals significant inequities across economic, social and cultural indicators. People who interact with mental health and addiction services experience systemic disadvantage in

Published: January 2026

  We are advocating for change from a coercive to a choice-based mental health system. The changes we are calling for can be made now. Repeal and replace the Mental Health Act New legislation must be co-designed with people with lived experience of compulsory treatment, uphold Te Tiriti o

Published: 23 May, 2024

A new report from Te Hiringa Mahara - Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission shows that more should be done to improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes of Pacific peoples. The report, Achieving equity of Pacific mental health and wellbeing outcomes , offers a snapshot of New Zealand’s Pacific