Articles tagged with Health Minister
Pharmac's Progress Report: Improved Patient Voice and Faster Medicine Access 2026
6 days ago | 166 viewsAssociate Health Minister David Seymour praises Pharmac’s progress in responding to the 2025/26 Letter of Expectations, highlighting improvements in patient involvement, timeliness of decision-making, and sector collaboration. Key achievements include trialling streamlined assessment pathways, enhancing consumer engagement, updating rare disorder policies, and advancing digital investments, all contributing to a clear multi-year organisational improvement programme. While progress is noted as impressive and transparency has increased, Seymour emphasizes that continued efforts to listen to patients and improve access to medicines remain essential.
Tags: David Seymour Pharmac Associate Health Minister Patient Community Consumer Engagement Rare Disorders Strategy Exceptional Circumstances Framework NPPA Health Sector Medical TechnologyNew Peer-Led Mental Health Beds to Improve Crisis Support in NZ
1 week ago | 156 viewsNew Zealand is nearly doubling peer-led acute alternative mental health beds from 25 to 45 to provide faster, community-based crisis support outside hospitals, with 12 new beds opening in Auckland and eight in the lower South Island. This expansion is part of a $61.6 million government investment that also includes additional frontline staff, peer support workers, and Crisis Recovery Cafés to improve mental health crisis response nationwide. Trusted local organizations with extensive community experience will deliver these services, ensuring people in crisis receive timely, supportive care in a home-like environment connected to their families and communities.
Tags: Matt Doocey Pathways Ngā Kete Mātauranga Pounamu Uruuruwhenua Hauora Auckland Invercargill Alexandra New Zealand Mental Health Minister Crisis Assessment and Treatment TeamsNZ Government Boosts Funding and Extends Contracts for Community Mental Health NGOs
1 week ago | 201 viewsThe New Zealand Government is providing over $34 million in additional annual funding from July 2026 to support community mental health and addiction organisations, recognizing their vital role. To ensure greater stability, most providers are being moved from one-year to three-year contracts, allowing them to invest confidently in their workforce and services. This approach aims to improve access to mental health support, strengthen frontline services, and enhance crisis response for vulnerable New Zealanders.
Tags: Matt Doocey Mental Health Minister New Zealand community organisations mental health addiction services NGOs Health New Zealand funding uplift frontline workersNew Zealand Boosts Community Mental Health Funding with Longer Contracts
1 week ago | 186 viewsMental Health Minister Matt Doocey announced over $34 million in additional annual funding from July 2026 for community mental health and addiction providers, along with a 3.16% funding uplift for most eligible NGOs. The government is increasing contract certainty by shifting around 83% of providers onto three-year contracts, replacing the previous predominance of one-year agreements to enable better workforce investment and service delivery. These measures aim to support frontline organizations that serve over 82,000 people annually, ensuring faster access to mental health services and a stronger crisis response across New Zealand.
Tags: Matt Doocey Mental Health Minister New Zealand community organisations mental health addiction services NGOs Health New Zealand funding uplift frontline workersNew Zealand Launches 10-Year Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy for All
2 weeks ago | 218 viewsMental Health Minister Matt Doocey launched New Zealand’s first Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, setting a 10-year plan with a detailed three-year Implementation Plan featuring 50 actions to improve mental health and addiction outcomes. Key focuses include launching AI Navigation for easier access to services, integrating mental health with housing and employment support, eliminating seclusion, and co-designing a youth mental health roadmap. The strategy was shaped by feedback from nearly 900 people and organizations, aiming to create a more effective mental health system.
Tags: Matt Doocey Mental Health Minister New Zealand Healthy Futures Act Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Mental Health Bill youth mental health addiction services AI Navigation public consultationPharmac Enhances Patient Voice with New Community and Patient Advisory Committee
3 weeks ago | 212 viewsPharmac is enhancing its engagement with the patient community by establishing a new Community and Patient Advisory Committee (CPAC) to replace existing advisory groups, ensuring patients have a stronger voice in decision-making. This initiative builds on a cultural shift led by new leadership, supported by increased funding and expanded access to medicines benefiting hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders. Recruitment for CPAC members begins in October, with an interim committee guiding its development and implementation ahead of its official launch in the new year.
Tags: David Seymour Malcolm Mulholland Georgina Johnson LJ Apaipo Tim Edmonds Chris Higgins Tracy Tierney Pharmac Associate Health MinisterAuckland Launches Third Mental Health Co-Response Team to Improve Crisis Support
3 weeks ago | 263 viewsMental Health Minister Matt Doocey launched Auckland's third mental health co-response team to provide timely, appropriate support for people in mental distress, reducing reliance on criminal justice responses. These teams, comprising police and mental health workers, operate during peak demand times and have already shown positive outcomes, including fewer emergency department referrals and increased wraparound support. Funded by a $28 million Budget 2025 investment, the initiative aims to roll out 10 such teams nationwide to improve crisis response for 111 mental health calls.
Tags: Matt Doocey Auckland Police Station Mental Health Minister Counties Manukau Waitematā Middlemore Hospital Wellington New Zealand Government Budget 2025 Mental Health ActGovernment to Publicly Report Youth Mental Health Support Access Speeds Quarterly
1 month ago | 358 viewsMental Health Minister Matt Doocey announced that the Government will begin publicly reporting the speed at which young people access mental health support in quarterly target results to increase transparency and accountability. Despite improvements, barriers such as lack of awareness and embarrassment persist, prompting initiatives like the Youth Mental Health Summit and increased funding for youth services. Current data shows that over 73% to 79% of young people are accessing various mental health services within target timeframes, with ongoing efforts to improve these outcomes.
Tags: Matt Doocey Mental Health Minister Youthline Mental Health Foundation New Zealand Gumboot Friday Youth Mental Health Summit young people mental health support governmentGovernment Invests $35M to Expand Forensic Mental Health Services and Beds by 2027
1 month ago | 315 viewsThe government is investing $35 million in Budget 2026 to expand forensic mental health services, including adding inpatient beds, step-down beds, and increasing prison in-reach and court liaison staff to improve access and support. This funding builds on the previous year’s $51 million investment, collectively adding 14 new forensic inpatient and step-down beds and boosting frontline workers to enhance rehabilitation and community reintegration. The expanded services aim to reduce delays, improve patient outcomes, and increase safety for staff and communities, with new facilities expected to open in early 2027.
Tags: Matt Doocey Mental Health Minister Mason Clinic Porirua forensic campus Health New Zealand Budget 2026 Budget 2025 forensic mental health court liaison staffNew Zealand Invests $9M in FASD Community Hubs for Early Diagnosis and Support
1 month ago | 395 viewsNew Zealand is investing $9 million to establish its first community-based hubs for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) assessment, diagnosis, and support in Rotorua/Kawerau, Hawke’s Bay, and Gisborne, addressing significant local needs. These hubs aim to provide earlier intervention, comprehensive services, and family support to improve lifelong health, learning, and development outcomes for affected children and young people. This initiative builds on a previous $4.6 million government funding boost to prevent FASD and enhance support, tackling longstanding barriers to timely diagnosis and care.
Tags: Matt Doocey New Zealand FASD Rotorua Kawerau Hawke’s Bay Gisborne Associate Health Minister GovernmentGisborne Opens New Crisis Recovery Café for Mental Health Support
1 month ago | 413 viewsMental Health Minister Matt Doocey officially opened Gisborne’s new Crisis Recovery Café, a safe, non-clinical space where people experiencing mental health and addiction challenges can receive peer support and connect with community services without a referral. The café, run by Te Kupenga Net Trust, operates weekdays and aims to provide an alternative to emergency departments, emphasizing the importance of wraparound support and peer workers who understand lived experiences. This initiative is part of a broader rollout of eight Crisis Recovery Cafés nationwide to improve mental health support through trusted community organizations.
Tags: Matt Doocey Te Kupenga Net Trust Gisborne Crisis Recovery Café Te Kāuta café Mental Health Minister Tairāwhiti peer support emergency departments addiction challengesNew Zealand Passes Landmark Mental Health Law Reform Ending Youth Seclusion
1 month ago | 352 viewsNew Zealand has passed landmark legislation to overhaul its mental health laws for the first time in over 30 years, modernizing compulsory care, strengthening rights, and ending seclusion for young people. The reforms introduce new protections to keep mothers and babies together during compulsory care, limit the use of seclusion for adults, enhance supported decision-making, increase family involvement, and restrict electroconvulsive therapy use. These changes, influenced by feedback from those with lived experience and recommendations from the Royal Commission, aim to improve safety, dignity, and recovery-focused care, and will take effect in two years.
Tags: Matt Doocey New Zealand Mental Health Minister Parliament Mental Health Laws Royal Commission of Inquiry Electroconvulsive Therapy Seclusion Mental Health Care Mental Health ReformNew Zealand Passes Landmark Mental Health Law Reform Ending Youth Seclusion
1 month ago | 446 viewsNew Zealand has passed landmark legislation to overhaul its mental health laws for the first time in over 30 years, modernizing compulsory care and strengthening patients' rights. Key reforms include ending seclusion for young people, introducing protections to keep mothers and babies together, enhancing supported decision-making, and tightening safeguards around electroconvulsive therapy. These changes, influenced by recommendations from the Royal Commission and input from those with lived experience, aim to improve safety, dignity, and recovery-focused care, with implementation set for two years from now.
Tags: Matt Doocey New Zealand mental health Parliament Mental Health Minister seclusion compulsory mental health care Royal Commission of Inquiry electroconvulsive therapy family involvementNew Zealand Passes Law to Put Patients First with Better Healthcare Access
1 month ago | 381 viewsNew Zealand’s new Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Act prioritizes patients by strengthening accountability, reducing bureaucracy, and ensuring timely access to quality healthcare with measurable outcomes. The legislation replaces vague principles with clear health targets to improve system performance, transparency, and delivery after years of poor results under the previous government. Early improvements include reduced emergency wait times, faster treatment, higher immunization rates, and increased investment in hospitals and primary care.
Tags: Simeon Brown Health Minister New Zealand Healthy Futures Amendment Act Health New Zealand Government Patients Health system Health targets HealthcareNew Zealand Launches Home Bowel Test to Speed Up Cancer Diagnosis and Screening
1 month ago | 398 viewsNew Zealand is rolling out a home faecal immunochemical test (FIT) for people with bowel cancer symptoms to prioritize colonoscopies for those at higher risk, thereby reducing wait times and freeing specialist capacity. This initiative supports the government’s goal to lower the bowel screening age from 60 to 56 and beyond, enabling earlier detection and treatment of bowel cancer. By reducing unnecessary colonoscopy referrals by up to 30%, the test helps manage increased demand while improving timely access to care for symptomatic patients.
Tags: Simeon Brown Health Minister New Zealand bowel cancer colonoscopy FIT test bowel screening Health New Zealand GP cancer symptoms