30 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1182 views
Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Patterson are visiting Greymouth as part of the Rural Health Roadshow to address healthcare challenges in geographically spread-out communities like the West Coast. Budget 2025 allocated $164 million to enhance urgent and after-hours care, aiming to ensure 98% of New Zealanders can reach urgent care within an hour. The Government is dedicated to removing geographic barriers to healthcare access, focusing on strengthening mental health and rural healthcare outcomes for all New Zealanders, especially those in rural communities like Greymouth.
10 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1335 views
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey participated in the launch of the Construction Industry Wellbeing Survey on World Suicide Prevention Day, emphasizing the importance of changing the narrative on suicide to reduce stigma and encourage seeking help. New Zealand faces high suicide rates, with 617 suspected suicides last year, leading to increased investment of $16 million per year in the new Suicide Prevention Action Plan, which includes various health and cross-agency actions to enhance access to support and prevention services. The government is committed to providing timely support for those at risk of suicide, promoting wellbeing campaigns, establishing crisis recovery cafes, and funding peer support workers in emergency departments to strengthen suicide prevention efforts in New Zealand.
03 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1383 views
New Zealand's Mental Health Minister, Matt Doocey, launched a refreshed strategic approach to eating disorders, with a significant funding increase of over $4 million annually, totaling over $23 million. The strategy emphasizes a full continuum of care, including prevention, primary health care, early intervention, community services, and specialist and inpatient services. The funding package includes initiatives such as peer support, community-based support for families, capacity increase for specialist services, and expansion of prevention and early intervention support to better support those battling eating disorders.
02 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1369 views
The Mental Health Minister opened Whanganui’s new Crisis Recovery Café at Aunty’s Café, the first of six cafés being rolled out by the Government nationwide. These cafés, led by Balance Aotearoa and iwi providers, offer peer-led, non-clinical support for individuals facing mental health or addiction challenges in a community setting. The Government aims to reduce pressure on traditional crisis systems by providing faster access to support, increasing frontline workers, and enhancing crisis response through initiatives like crisis cafés and peer support specialist roles in emergency departments.
21 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1523 views
Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones are pleased that the first Fast-track project, the Port of Auckland wharf expansion, has received approval under the Fast-track Approvals Act. The project includes a new wharf, berth extension, cruise terminal, and other upgrades, with construction set to start next month to create jobs and boost the economy. The Act streamlines the approval process for projects, with expert panels assessing applications and attaching necessary conditions, aiming to drive economic growth and efficiency in critical sectors like Auckland's port infrastructure.
20 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1709 views
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey welcomes the New Zealand Psychologists Board's approval of the Psychology Assistant role to enhance access to mental health and addiction support. The initiative aims to address workforce shortages by providing a career path for psychology graduates unable to enter clinical psychology programs. Psychology Assistants will work under supervision to expand support services, reduce vacancies, and improve mental health outcomes for New Zealanders.
20 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1660 views
The Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Act, passed into law, has improved the freshwater farm plan system to make it more workable and affordable for farmers, reducing duplication and costs by allowing industry organisations to certify and audit plans. This change recognizes good work done by farmers and industry groups in managing risks, focusing on actual on-farm risks and practical actions to reduce them. The Act increases the minimum farm size requiring a freshwater farm plan to 50 hectares for certain land uses, removing the requirement for around 8,000 smaller, lower-risk farms, supporting environmental stewardship and growth in the primary sector.
19 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1443 views
The latest appointments to New Zealand's 15 Conservation Boards aim to enhance environmental efforts in the country. Minister for Conservation Tama Potaka announced a total of 145 appointments, including 21 reappointments, 37 new appointments, and 87 continuing members, focusing on diversity and community representation. Additionally, two reappointments and four new appointments were confirmed for the New Zealand Conservation Authority to provide strategic policy advice for conservation efforts in Aotearoa New Zealand.
14 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1424 views
The Government is investing in a new Biodiversity Research Centre in Upper Hutt to replace the earthquake-prone and inadequate Tory Street facility, preserving Te Papa’s natural history collection of over 860,000 specimens. The project, costing $155.4 million, is part of a $6 billion infrastructure initiative and will create construction jobs for over 2,000 people, with completion expected by March 2028. The collection transfer and decommissioning of the current facility are scheduled to be completed by April 2029.
09 Aug 2025
1 year ago
2140 views
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey introduced a national Top Up campaign promoting everyday actions to enhance mental health using the evidence-based 5 Ways to Wellbeing. The initiative aims to encourage proactive behavior change for better mental wellbeing across various settings. The campaign, developed in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation, aligns with the Government's Mental Health Targets by emphasizing prevention and early intervention while also improving support services.
07 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1595 views
Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Patterson are conducting a rural health roadshow across New Zealand, currently in Kaitaia, to engage with rural communities and health professionals. The roadshow aims to gather feedback on the Rural Health Strategy, address healthcare challenges, and explore opportunities for improving access and outcomes in rural areas. The Government's commitment to strengthening rural health care includes increased funding for urgent and after-hours care, advancements in surgical services like total knee replacements in Kaitaia, and investments in mental health support through expanded services and the Rural Wellbeing Fund.
06 Aug 2025
1 year ago
2523 views
Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Patterson are engaging with rural communities in Tūrangi to improve access to care nationwide. The Rural Health Roadshow allows for direct feedback on the Rural Health Strategy implementation and testing of rural urgent care prototypes. The Government's Budget 2025 allocates $164 million to enhance urgent and after-hours care, benefiting rural and remote communities across New Zealand.
01 Aug 2025
1 year ago
4313 views
Health New Zealand presented the New Zealand Health Plan to Parliament, as required by the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022. The plan outlines how Health New Zealand will address the Government's health priorities from 2024 to 2027, focusing on improving health outcomes and access to care. It includes targets for faster cancer treatment, improved mental health services, reducing wait times, and enhancing the health workforce, with a clear emphasis on accountability and transparency for tracking progress.
31 Jul 2025
1 year ago
2257 views
New funding of $4.9 million will improve access to specialist mental health support for women and families during and after pregnancy in Waikato, Hawke’s Bay, Mid Central, and Wellington regions. The investment aims to provide timely and appropriate care for those facing mental health challenges during pregnancy or postpartum, including support for birth trauma or stillbirth. This funding will create more roles in community-based specialist infant and maternal mental health services, ensuring more equitable access and reducing wait times for those in need of care.
28 Jul 2025
1 year ago
3213 views
Farmer confidence in New Zealand has reached an eight-year high, indicating the resilience of the sector and progress towards doubling export value. The shift in sentiment is evident from the latest Federated Farmers Confidence Survey, showing a significant increase in confidence levels. This positive trend is attributed to the hard work of rural New Zealanders and government support, with key improvements in profitability, productivity, and mental health reported.