Party Responses | How will you support Lived Experience?
Changing Minds recently wrote to the parties currently in Parliament (Labour, National, Act, Greens and Te Pāti Māori) to hear their positions on four questions about supporting Lived Experience. These questions came from what we’ve heard from the community over the past 12 months. Here are the responses we have received.
NZ Labour Party
If elected, how will your government challenge – and make a positive difference to – the prejudice, discrimination and self-stigma faced by people with Lived Experience of mental distress, substance use or addiction?
“Labour is the first government to take mental health seriously. In six years, we’ve made the biggest ever investment to build a solid foundation for a whole new mental health and addiction system. We will continue our work to put the spotlight on stigma, prejudice and discrimination against those who experience mental health and wellbeing issues.
The Labour Government has made all the necessary decisions to change the Mental Health Act and if re-elected will follow through on these changes. People with lived experience worked in partnership with our officials and the Minister throughout this process.
We rolled out the Access and Choice programme and other initiatives to provide free mental health and addiction support at local doctors and schools, kaupapa Māori and Pacific settings, as well as universities, online, on the phone and through smart apps. The programme has hit the one millionth support session since it started delivering services in 2020. Labour has committed to expanding primary mental health services to 3.5 million New Zealanders if re-elected. Access and Choice is helping break down the stigma around mental health and addiction challenges and reinforcing that it’s ok, to not be ok. A key is being able to do something about it - and that’s the value of these free and easy-to-access services.
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 small issues don’t become big problems. In response to the report, we are committed to improving the legislation around mental health.
Labour recently committed to roll out a national multi-agency approach to better respond to 111 calls for people experiencing mental distress. We will also improve triaging in Emergency Communication Centres, increase the use of telehealth and digital counselling, and develop multi-agency crisis hubs as alternatives to relieve pressure on emergency departments.
As well as Access and Choice, we have also put mental health support in schools in large parts of the country through Mana Ake and other programmes. We have committed to expanding Mana Ake to 195,000 primary and intermediate aged children. We’ve funded additional mental wellbeing supports in every university and tertiary institution and we’ve boosted support online, on the phone and through smart apps.
In 2017, there was no mental health infrastructure programme and facilities were unsafe. We’ve invested nearly $1 billion in 16 new or upgraded mental health facilities – four of which will open soon.”
What is your party vision to enable community-based mental health services, and community-led mental health networks and supports?
“New Zealanders deserve accessible, well-funded mental health care and Labour will keep moving forward with our plan to deliver this – for everyone.
Access and Choice is now available to over 3.5 million New Zealanders and 1 million sessions have been delivered in community settings, like GP offices.
The Labour Government has supported community organisations that do important work to provide mental health and addiction support on the ground. In 2021, we announced a $4.6 million package over four years for Rainbow mental wellbeing initiatives aimed at young people. In October 2022, another 15 organisations received funding to advance their work. We boosted funding to Youthline by $1 million. The Youth Mental Wellbeing Fund has funded more than twenty community-led projects to allow them to keep doing the important work they do.
Our government funds many NGOs across the system to provide services at the grass roots.”
What does equitable and visible Lived Experience leadership within the health system, and mental health decision making, look like under your government?
“Labour recognises that we need to support and empower people to take control of their own health and address the wider factors which drive good health and wellbeing. It’s vital we prioritise the prevention, reduction and delaying of ill health wherever possible. This means shifting focus and resource towards preventive healthcare, not just spending more on the same services to fix the same problems. We heard that we need to end the ‘one size fits all’ approach to health services, regardless of what people actually need.
We know that Māori have struggled over the years to get meaningful, equitable support, which is why we committed to funding new by Māori, for Māori kaupapa mental health services as part of our ground-breaking Access and Choice programme. The Government has established 29 kaupapa Māori primary mental health and addiction services. We are also targeting support for Pacific, youth, rural and Rainbow communities.”
How will your government be accountable to the above outcomes, visions, and communities?
“Labour stands by its record on mental health. We are committed to ensuring that Kiwis have access to timely and accessible mental health and addiction services. We pledge to further progress this work if re-elected.”
Response received via email 9 October 2023Green Party
If elected, how will your government challenge – and make a positive difference to – the prejudice, discrimination and self-stigma faced by people with Lived Experience of mental distress, substance use or addiction?
“The Green Party’s vision is an Aotearoa where no matter what people are going through, everyone is supported to live a good life, and mental health services and rehabilitation services are freely available for anyone who needs them, without stigma and discrimination. We will promote an evidence-based, compassionate approach to mental distress, substance use or addiction that reduces harm and stigma in our communities.
Actions the Green party will take to enable this include:
Repeal and replace the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 with an evidence-based approach, which reduces harm and treats drug use as a health issue.
Increase health and rehabilitation support for people with lived experience of substance use or addiction, or who are seeking to reduce their use of drugs and alcohol, through kaupapa Māori, Rainbow, youth, and harm reduction programmes.
Regulate the personal use of cannabis to minimise the risk of harm to users, their whānau, and communities.
Roll-out overdose prevention services, including increasing the availability of naloxone, and safe, medically supervised consumption spaces, building on the success of needle exchanges to reduce harm and save lives.”
What does equitable and visible Lived Experience leadership within the health system, and mental health decision making, look like under your government?
“The Green Party will always seek to uplift the voices of communities with lived experience in decision making. We recognise the importance of lived experience leadership in the health and mental health systems, particularly leadership from tangata whenua. We will enable this further with greater resourcing for the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission to lead a whole of government approach, to guide the transformation of our mental health system with communities who have lived experience and provide independent monitoring and accountability and for mental health services, along with establishment of a Mental Health Minister to be ultimately accountable for the work programme.
You’ll find evidence of this approach in our role in helping establish the Cross Party Group on Mental Health and Addiction Wellbeing, which most recently commissioned our report on best practice in Youth Mental Health services. Once again, we’ve got a phenomenal piece of localised research with a Parliamentary mandate – now we just need to resource its findings, such as the success of Youth One Stop Shops.”
What is your party vision to enable community-based mental health services, and community-led mental health networks and supports?
“Aotearoa can be a place where everyone has what they need to live a good life, and where anyone struggling has access to the support they need. The Green Party knows we can deliver free mental health services in every community, so everyone can get the support and care they need, when they need it.
We’ll achieve this by:
Expanding the Access and Choice programme and free mental health services to all communities so everyone can access support when they need it, including expanding youth services like Piki, Mana Ake and Youth One Stop Shops throughout Aotearoa.
Funding the Māori Health Authority to deliver kaupapa Māori mental health and addiction programmes based on a Te Whare Tapa Whā model.
Increasing the number of mental health professionals we train at all levels in Aotearoa to reduce caseloads, and improve the professional support available for our mental health workforce.
Implementing the recommendations of the Every Life Matters – He Tapu te Oranga o ia Tangata suicide prevention strategy, together with further actions identified as part of the kaupapa Māori response to suicide prevention.
Providing greater resource and investment in inpatient and moderate-severe mental health services.”
How will your government be accountable to the above outcomes, visions, and communities?
“We will continue to be visible and present in these communities, and will always engage regularly with community groups, lived experience groups and mental health and addiction stakeholders to ensure we are listening and accountable to the communities we serve, and will establish a Minister of Mental Health.”
Response received 26 September 2023 via email.National Party
If elected, how will your government challenge – and make a positive difference to – the prejudice, discrimination and self-stigma faced by people with Lived Experience of mental distress, substance use or addiction?
“If elected National will establish New Zealand’s first Mental Health Minister who will be a voice for Kiwis with lived experience to continue to break down the stigma many still face.”
What does equitable and visible Lived Experience leadership within the health system, and mental health decision making, look like under your government?
“If elected National will work with the mental health sector to grow the lived experience workforce to ensure lived experience is represented in all levels of decision making.”
What is your party vision to enable community-based mental health services, and community-led mental health networks and supports?
“National believes that we need to get funding out of the Wellington bureaucracy and into the hands of community providers already doing the hard yards at the coal face. This is why National will allocate $20m for a Mental Health Innovation Fund to co-invest with community organisations. National will back community organisations because they know best what is best for their community.”
How will your government be accountable to the above outcomes, visions, and communities?
“National will ensure regular and robust reporting of mental health statistics, and the new Mental Health Minister will be accountable for improving the mental health system to deliver better outcomes for New Zealanders.”
Response received 19 September 2023 via email.ACT
If elected, how will your government challenge – and make a positive difference to – the prejudice, discrimination and self-stigma faced by people with Lived Experience of mental distress, substance use or addiction?
“ACT will continue support for people with Lived Experience of mental distress, substance use or addiction. We will reform the mental health system to put individuals at the centre of decision-making, give them more choice in the care they receive, and provide funding directly to services which achieve quality outcomes.
We will also introduce a mentorship role to Oranga Tamariki to support vulnerable young people experiencing care so they have the support they need. This will help to reduce prejudice and self-stigma further in life by providing adequate assistance early on.
ACT has supported drug-checking services previously and will continue to support initiatives which reduce harm for people experiencing addiction.”
What is your party vision to enable community-based mental health services, and community-led mental health networks and supports?
“ACT recognises that community providers of mental health support achieve laudable outcomes, often far better than one-size-fits-all government services, and yet do not receive the appropriate resources. That’s why ACT will reform the mental health system to better address the needs of all communities in New Zealand. Instead of just being referred to Te Whatu Ora providers we will have a world class commissioning agency called Mental Health and Addiction NZ which will contract mental health treatment to a range of providers based on what the individual feels best meets their need; this could include culturally specific care for Pacific peoples, counselling in Te Reo Māori, or group support for young mothers as examples. People who do not wish to choose their provider will be assigned any provider with a demonstrated history of good outcomes.
By giving funding directly to the providers that patients choose we are able to achieve better mental health outcomes for New Zealanders as well as being able to adjust resourcing to organisations which achieve successful outcomes.”
What does equitable and visible Lived Experience leadership within the health system, and mental health decision making, look like under your government?
“It looks like putting individuals at the centre of decision-making, giving them more choice in the care they receive, and providing funding directly to registered community services which achieve quality outcomes.
It means practical solutions to addressing our health crisis including a boost in funding for primary care to address issues at the start, allowing more qualified medical professionals from equivalent overseas jurisdictions into New Zealand, and reviewing funding and financing options to get medical facilities build faster and better than we can now.”
How will your government be accountable to the above outcomes, visions, and communities?
“By redirecting funding to providers of mental health services we give people much greater control over which services they receive so they can choose to use a provider who works for them and the funding will follow that person. This is an immediate form of accountability where government providers are not automatically given preferential treatment over community providers regardless of outcomes.
Our reforms of Oranga Tamariki will include a fully independent Children’s Monitor with oversight of Oranga Tamariki which will hold the department to account on achieving better outcomes for Tamariki, including mentorship and appropriate wellbeing support for youth experiencing care.”
Received 11 October 2023 via email.