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Published: 30 April, 2026

Zealand Health Survey found 1 in 5 of 15–24-year-olds experienced high to very high psychological distress. Primary and specialist mental health and addiction services cannot meet need at this scale.  “We know that without easy-to-access support, early distress can lead to long lasting negative

Published: 7 August, 2025

Strategy on a page. Since our establishment in February 2021, we have continued to act in our role as a kaitiaki of mental health, addiction and wellbeing. We have built a strong knowledge base and our reports, and other work, are highly valued by our key stakeholders. With the period covered by the

Published: January 2026

sector reviews and evaluations. Barbara has been the Chief Executive of a number of non-government organisations including the Mental Health Foundation and Richmond Fellowship. She was the Chief Executive of Emerge Aotearoa, New Zealand’s largest national mental health, addictions, disability and

Published: 29 October, 2024

Last week we welcomed the passing by Parliament of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) (Improving Mental Health Outcomes) Amendment Bill. This amendment requires that the Minister for Mental Health produce a mental health and wellbeing strategy for Aotearoa New Zealand within 12 months. The Bill was

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: 27 June, 2024

More evidence of the state of New Zealand youth mental health — Youth and rangatahi wellbeing and access to services assessment — has been released today and shows that while most youth and rangatahi are doing well, there is a steady decline in youth wellbeing in comparison to older age groups more

Published: 24 March, 2026

A think tank convened by Te Hiringa Mahara created space for ‘blue sky’ thinking about the future role primary and community care can play in supporting people with mental health and substance use needs. To share the outcome of the think tank workshop held in August 2025, we have published a short

Published: January 2026

pandemic, often coping and supporting others across a range of areas - despite often facing worse impacts of the pandemic. Find out more about the impact of COVID-19 on wellbeing of older people in Aotearoa New Zealand   Media reporting of COVID-19 Our first report, Media reporting of COVID-19 and mental health and wellbeing, provides a scene-setter for the rest of the series. Find out more about COVID-19 media reporting  

Published: February 2026

services in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Access and Choice programme, rolled out from 2019/20 over five years, has a particular focus on people with mild-to-moderate mental health and addiction needs. It aims to improve access to primary mental health, wellbeing, and addiction services, including in Kaupapa

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