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Published: 3 April, 2025

documents progress establishing the programme, with recommendations on how to ensure it reaches its full potential. “The introduction of the Access and Choice programme has filled gap in support and has substantially increased access for people seeking help for mild to moderate mental health

Published: 17 September, 2021

Commission calls for the Justice Select Committee to listen carefully to the voices of rainbow communities The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission (the Commission) appeared in front of the Justice Select Committee yesterday to speak to its  written submission  on the Conversion

Published: 16 February, 2024

Recommendations in the Meeting the mental health needs of young New Zealanders report released yesterday by the Auditor General show there is a long way to go to ensure every young person who needs support can access it.  “We’ve got to do everything we can to ensure rangatahi and young people

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: 10 March, 2026

In this article Karen Orsborn, Chief Executive, outlines what needs to be done to promote online safety for rangatahi and young people.  Online spaces are now integrated into many young people’s lives, and Aotearoa New Zealand has some of the highest rates of youth engagement in online media

Published: 16 June, 2022

In early June we provided an article on coercive practices to the New Zealand Herald for consideration as part of its Great Minds campaign on mental health. The article, by our Chief Executive Karen Orsborn, pointed out that coercive practices continue in Aotearoa New Zealand despite evidence they

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

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: 25 February, 2026

Te Hiringa Mahara is calling for increased urgency to improve access to specialist mental health and addiction services for young people after new analysis shows a continued reduction in the number of young people accessing services.   Despite 15-to-24 year-olds reporting increasing levels of

Published: November 2025

As an independent crown entity partner of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we have prioritised engaging with tāngata whenua whānau, hapū and iwi.  We will be supported by Ngā Ringa Raupā (comprising the Director Māori Health, Principal Advisor Māori Health and Māori kaimahi) to build our authentic