26 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1189 views
Public Service Minister Judith Collins announces strengthened standards to support sexual harassment complainants in the public service, emphasizing dignity and rights. The new guidelines, titled "Your Complaint, Your Rights," outline the support and rights available to complainants when reporting harassment. The improvements aim to enhance the handling of complaints and ensure that individuals who come forward are treated with dignity, respect, and fairness, drawing on feedback from the Public Service Commission and the recent Public Service Census.
21 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1237 views
Health Minister Simeon Brown has announced a $20 million boost for emergency departments nationwide to increase frontline staffing over the next nine months, aiming to reduce wait times and improve patient care. The investment will allow hospitals to recruit more doctors, nurses, and support staff, with a focus on hospitals facing the greatest challenges. This initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen healthcare services, improve workforce capacity, and enhance patient access to timely and quality care.
10 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1326 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.
05 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1352 views
Starting from Term 1, 461 schools will benefit from a new Learning Support Coordinator (LSC) staffing entitlement, part of the Government's $192 million Budget 2025 investment to ensure all primary and intermediate schools have access to LSC support over the next three years. LSCs will provide direct support to both staff and students, focusing on neurodiverse students and those with additional learning needs, while also helping schools and families navigate specialist support when necessary. The phased rollout over three years aims to address inequities in LSC access across regions, benefiting close to 300,000 students in 1131 schools by 2028.
03 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1371 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.
03 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1299 views
Improvements to the disability support system will provide disabled individuals, families, and carers with more choice and control over flexible funding starting early next year. The changes aim to address feedback for greater autonomy in decision-making and to create a more transparent and sustainable system. These adjustments, informed by extensive community consultations, will standardize assessment processes, develop personalized support plans through NASCs, and offer more clarity and certainty to users of flexible funding.
02 Sep 2025
1 year ago
1363 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.
26 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1588 views
The Social Investment Fund, recently launched by Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis, targets children facing challenging family or educational circumstances, including those with parents in jail or who have been in the care system. Data-driven evidence supports early intervention for these children to improve outcomes and reduce long-term government costs. The Fund, with a budget of $190 million over four years, aims to invest in effective strategies, empower community organizations, and measure the impact of interventions transparently.
20 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1697 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.
13 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1738 views
Minister Karen Chhour urges individuals capable of offering a loving and stable environment to consider becoming caregivers, emphasizing improved support and training. Budget 2025 allocated $16 million to enhance care environments and caregiver training. Initiatives include caregiver feedback incorporation, improved on-boarding processes, and prioritizing safe and loving homes for children.
08 Aug 2025
1 year ago
1519 views
A 12-month Military-Style Academy pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga in Palmerston North has successfully supported youth offenders and their families, resulting in improved behavior and reduced re-offending rates. Minister for Children Karen Chhour received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the pilot's outcomes, with many participants showing promise and making positive life changes. The government's initiatives, including the pilot program, have contributed to a significant reduction in serious and persistent youth offending, leading to safer communities and increased opportunities for at-risk youth.
31 Jul 2025
1 year ago
3398 views
Starting from 1 September, vintage light vehicles and private heavy motorhomes in New Zealand will transition from six-monthly to annual vehicle inspections, as announced by Transport Minister Chris Bishop. This change aims to reduce bureaucracy for the approximately 128,000 vintage vehicles and 39,000 private motorhomes registered in the country, as these vehicles are less likely to have faults contributing to serious crashes compared to modern cars. Public support for this change was overwhelmingly positive, with 89% in favor of annual inspections for private heavy motorhomes and 98% for vintage light vehicles.
31 Jul 2025
1 year ago
2248 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.
26 Jul 2025
1 year ago
2351 views
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announces the removal of a workforce barrier for over 330 experienced counsellors in publicly funded mental health services through a revised accreditation process with Health New Zealand and NZAC. The strengthened accreditation pathway aims to address workforce shortages and increase timely mental health support for New Zealanders. The initiative is part of broader efforts to reduce vacancies, utilize underutilized workforces, and improve access to mental health services.
24 Jul 2025
1 year ago
2082 views
Frontline services are implementing enhanced training to support staff in responding to family and sexual violence, aiming to train 10,000 workers within the next two years. Minister Karen Chhour emphasizes the importance of this training in providing best practice support for victim-survivors and enabling staff to effectively address such violence. Progress against the Te Aorerekura Action Plan includes training for Ministry of Justice, Department of Corrections, and Police recruits, with a focus on collaboration and commitment to improve support for victim-survivors.