The Initial Commission was responsible for monitoring and providing advice on progress of the Government’s system transformation response to He Ara Oranga. This included monitoring progress on the implementation of kaupapa Māori approaches.
Mā Te Rongo Ake is a report from the Initial Commission that assesses progress of the Government’s response to He Ara Oranga, the inquiry into mental health and addiction, addresses the question: “how is system transformation progressing?”, and asks:
what progress is government making in its response to He Ara Oranga?
is progress happening fast enough (and how much further is there to go)?
The Initial Commission listened and heard from people with a diverse range of perspectives, including:
whānau Māori
disabled people
Pacific peoples
rainbow communities
other groups with disproportionally poorer mental health and wellbeing outcomes
people with lived experience of mental distress and addiction and their families, whānau and caregivers.
The Initial Commission’s assessment shows that Government has shown commitment to drive change and deliver on its obligation to He Ara Oranga, but change isn’t always what was envisaged in He Ara Oranga, particularly by people on the ground who had high expectations for transformation.
While significant Government investment is happening, it has been prioritised and sequenced over time. People in the community and on the frontline are concerned at the lack of a visible plan and worry Government investment is ad hoc, too slow, and not targeted in the right areas.
The report highlights examples of services and movements that are supporting communities to improve health and wellbeing in a way that demonstrates the principles and recommendations of He Ara Oranga. These community programmes demonstrate a wellbeing approach where cultural and peer-led services work alongside clinical services.
We acknowledge the vision and courage of these community organisations to stand by their models and work differently, both before and since He Ara Oranga, and light the path to system transformation:
The Initial Commission’s interim report, He Ara Oranga - Mānuka Takoto, Kawea Ake / Upholding the Wero Laid in He Ara Oranga, was published in June 2020. It provided a check-in on progress of Government's response to He Ara Oranga, the inquiry into mental health and addiction. It focused on four initial priority areas, and offered advice to consider in the early days of system transformation:
Establishing Te Hiringa Mahara
Publishing the suicide prevention strategy and establishing a Suicide Prevention Office
Repealing and replacing the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992
Expanding access and choice to existing primary mental health and addiction services for people with mild to moderate mental health and addictions needs.
Publishing the suicide prevention strategy and establishing a Suicide Prevention Office
Repealing and replacing the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992
Expanding access and choice
Equity and partnership - kotahitanga - need to come first
Thematic Analysis
To develop the Interim Report, the Initial Commission interviewed more than 40 organisations and agencies, which were selected to represent their wide-ranging roles in the four initial priorities of the Government’s response to He Ara Oranga. The Initial Commission spoke to government agencies, primary health organisations, District Health Boards, workforce organisations, Kaupapa Māori organisations, Pasifika health services, Whānau Ora commissioning agencies, whānau organisations, and consumer organisations.
Interviewees shared information that spanned across the full scope of the Government’s response to He Ara Oranga, not just the four initial priorities described in the Interim Report. These insights have been captured in a document, Thematic Analysis, which includes descriptions of themes, quotes and views from different perspectives.
Interviews were conducted from March to May 2020 and do not reflect new decisions, processes, or announcements made since that time.
