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December 11, 2023
Minister Doocey good fit for mental health role
Peter Verschaffelt
Posted On December 11, 2023
Download AudioThe Mental Health Foundation is welcoming the appointment of Matt Doocey as New Zealand’s first ever Minister for Mental Health.
Chief executive Shaun Robinson says mental health is a huge area that’s been neglected for decades by successive Governments.
He says it needs someone giving it 100 percent attention.
“I know this is Matt Doocey’s passion. He has his own lived experience of poor mental health when he was younger. He’s been a counsellor and a therapist and he’s been the spokesperson on mental health for six years and spent a lot of time learning abut the sector and the issues and the people,” Mr Robinson says.
Shaun Robinson says the new Government needs to consider the impact of its policies on people’s mental health, including reversing steps such as reclaiming te reo and giving Māori the power to define their own services which are vital to tackle the negative impacts of colonisation on Māori mental health statistics.
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