Political parties may agree New Zealand has a mental health problem, but the Mental Health Foundation says too few are committing to the concrete solutions needed to fix it.
The Foundation has released its first Election 2026 mental health policy scorecard, examining where political parties stand on nine priorities it says could improve mental health, wellbeing and addiction outcomes across Aotearoa.
Chief executive Shaun Robinson says there is broad acknowledgement that action is needed, but the Foundation is concerned about a lack of clear plans, funding commitments and implementation timelines.
The scorecard draws on the Foundation’s What Works election toolkit, which sets out evidence-based approaches and 15 practical actions for improving mental health and wellbeing. The Foundation says there is no single solution, but there are established approaches capable of delivering better outcomes.
Among its priorities are mental health services in every school, youth health and wellbeing hubs in every region, stronger crisis responses, better access to specialist services and greater investment in community-led suicide prevention.
It is also calling for more kaupapa Māori mental health services, alongside a stronger and more diverse workforce and better integration between mental health and addiction services, housing and employment support.
That Māori focus is significant. The Foundation has previously argued that mental health policy needs stronger Te Tiriti commitments, kaupapa Māori approaches and greater attention to the wider social conditions affecting wellbeing.
The Foundation is now challenging political parties to publish dedicated mental health manifestos before voters head to the polls, so whānau can see not only what parties say about mental health but what they are prepared to fund and deliver.
With mental health firmly on the election agenda, the Foundation’s message is simple: recognising the problem is one thing — voters also need to know what parties intend to do about it.
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