Budget builds on serious mental health investment

Budget 2022 has a strong focus on health. As I attend events around the Taieri electorate and invite constituents to give feedback on my issues board, I have noticed an escalating concern about mental health – particularly in rural areas.

Covid has been especially tough for rural communities, which are challenged by social isolation, border closures, supply chain delays, and the volume to value transition in the primary industries sector that is demanded by climate change.

As an advocate for an electorate that straddles urban and rural, I especially welcome funding that will continue to deliver on Labour’s commitment to better services and support for mental wellbeing.

The Budget will include a $100 million investment over four years for a specialist mental health and addiction package, including:

■ $27m for community-based crisis services that will deliver a variety of intensive supports such as residential and homebased crisis respite, crisis teams, co-response teams, and peer-led services in the community and as part of care teams.

■ $18.7m to enhance existing specialist child and adolescent mental health and addiction services so that about 1300 young people can be supported by more clinical, peer support and cultural support staff; and

■ $10m for workforce development to build the capability and capacity of the specialist services workforce.

As Health Minister Andrew Little says: Labour is the first government to take mental health seriously. In three years we’ve made the biggest ever investment to build a foundation for a whole new mental health and addiction system.

We commissioned the He Ara Oranga report, which showed the first step was making it easier to get help earlier and closer to home, so that small issues don’t become big ones.

That’s why we rolled out the Access and Choice programme and other initiatives to provide free mental health and addiction support at local doctor’s clinics and schools, kaupapa Mā ori and Pacific settings, universities, online, on the phone and via apps. More than 380,000 primary mental wellbeing sessions have been delivered and more than 900 additional full-timeequivalent roles support mental wellbeing in the community.

Now in Budget 2022 we’ll roll out the plan to improve services for people who have the highest needs. The mental wellbeing of Kiwis is crucial for individuals as well as for the economic security of New Zealand.

People with severe mental health and addiction issues and their families have been patient through inaction by previous governments. They know building reliable services takes time. Now, three years into the plan to build a whole new mental health system, New Zealand is finally getting closer to a system we can be proud of.