February 10, 2021
New start for mental health advocacy
The chair of the new Mental Health and Well Being Commission says it’s looking to do something significantly different, especially for tangata whenua.
The commission was set up after 2018 inquiry into mental health and disability led by Sir Ron Patterson, and it will monitor and report on what is happening in the sector.
Hayden Wano from Te Ātiawa and Taranaki says as a new organisation, it can show other crown entities what is means to be grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
"It’s important that we establish our footing with iwi in that partnership and demonstrate that partnership and what it could look like. There's that high policy level and also supporting the voice of our whanau on the ground," he says.
Hayden Wano says individual cases regarding interactions with the mental health system still need to go to the office of the Health and Disability Commissioner.
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