September 22, 2021
Ten year mental health plan gets Wano tick
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission is welcoming the government’s new 10-year plan for mental health.
Chair Hayden Wano says Kia Manawanui is an important step forward in transforming the mental health and addiction system.
The commission wants to see five areas prioritised:
• upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and improving outcomes for Māori, including community-led design of kaupapa Māori services;
• working with people with lived experience of mental distress and addiction to expand services so people can recover in their local communities;
• increasing equity for groups who disproportionately experience mental distress and addiction;
• working alongside people with lived experience of mental distress to repeal and replace the Mental Health Act;
• and maintaining a holistic view of wellbeing that acknowledges the impact of social and economic factors on people’s wellbeing, such as poverty, poor housing, discrimination, and other forms of disadvantage.