“A third of Kiwis who call the Government’s 1737 mental health teleservice are hanging up before getting the chance to speak to anyone, it isn’t good enough,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Health spokesperson Brooke van Velden.

“Written parliamentary questions answered by the Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall showed that in January 2023 31 per cent of calls went unanswered, increasing from 16 per cent two years earlier.

“It’s clear that mental health services aren’t working for New Zealanders. The Government has pledged a huge amount of money, but it hasn’t translated to improved services.

“Around four-in-five New Zealanders will face mental health challenges throughout their lives. We need a practical approach to ensure these people are not victims of a disjointed and overly bureaucratic system.

"ACT would give the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission the power to transform mental health and addiction services by taking the $2 billion per annum currently spent through the Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora, and channeling it to providers and patients through an upgraded Commission renamed Mental Health and Addiction New Zealand (MHANZ).

“MHANZ would not be a provider of services, but a world-class commissioning agency that assesses individual needs and contracts the best providers for a person’s therapy and care. It would put people at the heart of the system.

“It would have real power to commission mental health services where it believes the best value is. If that’s in more phone line services, then that’s what would happen. This is a more logical and consistent approach than having Ministers obsessed with restructuring the system, spending hundreds of millions while people find it harder to access the services they need.

"ACT is determined to create a better future for New Zealanders. We urge the Government to introduce our innovative solution for the mental health crisis facing New Zealand.”

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