New Zealand Invests $20M to Support Families and Prevent Addiction Harm by 2029

More women and families affected by addiction will now have improved access to support, giving children the best possible start in life. Increased investment announced today focuses on preventing and reducing substance-related harm in the areas that matter most, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says.Too many New Zealanders are affected by addiction every year, whether through harm to themselves or others. It’s incredibly important the health system can step up and respond so we can help prevent these devastating consequences, Mr Doocey says.One of the most important times of a child’s life is the first 1000 days. If we get support to families early, we can help build a stronger future for these children. That’s why we are expanding pregnancy and parenting support services for women and families experiencing alcohol or other drug issues.These services work with pregnant women and parents who are often poorly connected to health and social services. Through intensive outreach and case coordination, they help strengthen the family environment and ensure parents have access to the support they need.This builds on work underway on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder to prevent harm, improve diagnosis and support, and strengthen services for families. I want New Zealand to be a country that supports alcohol-free pregnancies, which means equipping our workforce and providing stronger support for affected families.Early identification is also critical to preventing addiction harm. We know we can’t wait until someone is in active addiction or asks for help. That’s why we are introducing Screening and Brief Intervention Practitioners in seven hospitals to identify people using meth, alcohol, or other drugs early and connect them with support. We are also establishing a community-based peer follow-up service for people leaving emergency departments after substance-related presentations to ensure they have wraparound support.The bottom line is drugs like meth destroy lives and tear families apart. Last year the government announced a comprehensive plan to combat meth harm, allocating $30 million to increase services and grow the frontline addiction workforce.  All of these actions are part of the first-ever Action Plan in New Zealand focused on supporting the addiction sector, launched today bringing together initiatives representing almost $20 million of new investment per year into addiction services so people can receive support, no matter what stage of addiction they are in.Progress is already being seen. The addiction workforce has grown by more than 11 percent since the Government came into office, and vacancy rates among drug and alcohol counsellors have dropped from more than 14 percent in September 2023 to 5.5 percent in September 2025.I asked the sector to develop a roadmap at the NZ Drug Foundation Summit last year. The sector told us clearly what was needed, and we are delivering.

Note to editors:•    The Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Substance Harm 2026-2029 can be found here, this includes all the new actions.•    The Minister’s foreword is attached.