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Published: 1 October, 2020

and Pacific communities. People told us: Support starts and continues with people and communities, not services. The former Mental Health Commissioner’s framework was viewed as being too narrow but was something that could be refined and built upon. The voices of Māori and tāngata whaiora are crucial

Published: April 2026

February 2025 shows the number of people using specialist mental health and addiction services continues to decrease. In 2023/24, there were 176,261 people who used specialist services. This is over 3,000 fewer people than in 2022/23 (179,472 people) and over 16,000 fewer people than 2020/21. Detail

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: 19 April, 2024

. While six other strategies were specified, mental health and addiction was not included. It is good that this omission will now be rectified. The purpose of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy is to provide a framework to guide health entities for the long-term improvement of mental health and

Published: July 2024

people against the He Ara Āwhina framework. We intend for this information to be used to inform policy and system responses to promote mental health and wellbeing for young people and rangatahi Māori in Aotearoa, New Zealand. As well as viewing on this page, you can download in these formats: Full

Published: 25 February, 2026

We’ve put the key mental health and substance use findings from the NZ Health Survey 2024/2025 into an easy-to-read summary. This information is intended to be used as evidence to support planning and investment, and to direct resources where they are most needed to improve mental health and

Published: 27 October, 2022

and Te Hiringa Mahara highlight that some service users still experienced barriers to treatment, and too many of those who seek help do not receive the care that they need. The use of compulsory treatment and seclusion remains high and inequitable. “We support the Commission’s report being used by

Published: 31 May, 2023

Access and Choice programme Workforce vacancies in specialist adult mental health and addiction services have doubled between 2018 and 2022, and we want to see a clear strategy and roadmap to address growing workforce shortages Coercive practices continue to be widely used, particularly for Māori and

Published: January 2026

Māori and people with lived experience of mental distress, substance harm, gambling harm or addiction in all that we do, as outlined in our Lived Experience Position Statement . Your views are important to us, and we encourage you to have your say to improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes for

Published: 13 December, 2023

on policy proposals and bills, such as the Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill, Therapeutic Products Bill and Manatū Hauora policy proposal to repeal and replace the Mental Health Act.   We generated good coverage of the issues we’re working on in a variety of media outlets. Over the