Mental health hui shows desperate need in Tararua
“Mental health is where physical health was 50 years ago,” National Party spokesman for mental health Matt Doocey said, opening a fact-finding hui in Dannevirke on August 28.
He has been touring the country talking to different groups about mental health, having asked to be the spokesman for the National Party in the National caucus.
He said he recognises there is a real need for change, admitting his party had “fallen down a bit, especially on suicide strategy” while in power.
He said he was a strong advocate for developing a crossparty policy on mental health strategies which would set programmes lasting 10 to 15 years. Principally he was in Dannevirke to hear about the situation in Tararua and left the hui fully aware of the inadequacy of services in the district.
Two women presented their situations with passion and their comments were strongly supported by the 30 health providers at the meeting.
Jane Tylee, Tararua coordinator for the East Coast Rural Support Trust, spoke of the need to support farmers in desperate trouble from a variety of issues like finances, weather, compliance demands and most recently Mycoplasma bovis.
She has had 56 clients since starting in 2016, 98 per cent suffering from anxiety, depression and stress.
She says there are not enough health professionals available to provide the help needed.
Jeanne O’Brien from Tararua Community Services spoke of the many surveys and investigations launched over 30 years concerning Tararua which have produced plenty of data, but have not been backed up with support.
Her organisation had helped 317 young people under the age of 18 this last year in the face of a desperate shortage of funding and services which are available free in Palmerston North but barely accessible to Tararua youth.
She pleaded for more funding to be provided to local organisations like TCS so they can develop further the services already provided by training locals to help, providing expertise and facilities.
Matt Doocey said the mechanism by which mental health funding is provided should bypass the Public Health Boards and go directly to the National Government Organisations (NGOs) which provide direct assistance at grassroots level, particularly to youth, saying investment here would reduce spending later on.
There was strong consensus that people in rural communities are best at helping other people in rural communities.
“We do have trained people ready and willing to help if only there was funding to support them,” one attendee said.