$100 M Budget Boost Targets Faster Mental Health Support

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said the funding package is designed to help people receive support sooner while addressing workforce shortages and pressure on mental health facilities.

The Government is investing more than $100 million over the next four years to strengthen mental health services, with a strong focus on maternal mental health, workforce growth and improving access to inpatient care. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said the funding package is designed to help people receive support sooner while addressing workforce shortages and pressure on mental health facilities. A total of $20.18 million has been allocated to maternal mental health services. The investment will support specialist mental health and addiction services for mothers, expand frontline staffing and increase access to support during some of the most challenging periods of family life.

Doocey said the first 2,000 days of a child's life play a crucial role in long-term development, making early support for parents and caregivers especially important. Part of the funding will be used to recruit additional peer support workers, allowing mothers experiencing mental health challenges to connect with people who have lived through similar situations. New Supporting Parents, Healthy Children workers will also be introduced in regional communities, alongside additional specialist frontline positions.

The package includes a new community fund worth $1 million each year that non-government organisations can access to deliver locally driven mental health support initiatives. Funding will also help implement New Zealand's recently developed perinatal bereavement pathway, which was created with input from families and people with lived experience. The pathway is intended to improve support for parents coping with the loss of a baby.

New psychology assistant roles to strengthen workforce

Another major component of the funding package is a $28.45 million investment in psychology assistant roles, marking the first time these positions will be employed within Health New Zealand.

The Government says the new pathway addresses a longstanding workforce challenge. Each year, many psychology graduates are unable to secure places in limited clinical psychology training programmes, resulting in potential talent being lost to the mental health sector.

Under the new initiative, up to 50 psychology assistants will be employed annually, creating a total of 150 positions over four years. The programme will also include supervision and training support to help workers build their skills and contribute directly to mental health services.

Doocey said the initiative complements efforts to increase the number of clinical psychologists being trained while creating an additional career pathway that keeps psychology graduates working in mental health.

Health officials believe the move will increase frontline capacity and help reduce waiting times for people seeking support.

Additional inpatient beds to ease pressure on hospitals

The largest portion of the package, $51.72 million, will fund the opening of 20 additional mental health inpatient beds across the country. The investment comes amid concerns about high occupancy rates in some regions and reports of patients waiting in emergency departments because there are no funded inpatient beds available.

Doocey said people experiencing serious mental health crises should not face delays in receiving appropriate care simply because capacity is stretched. The additional beds will be prioritised for regions experiencing the greatest pressure and highest occupancy rates. Officials expect the expansion to improve patient flow, reduce bottlenecks in emergency departments and provide faster access to specialist inpatient treatment when it is needed.

The Government says the combined investments represent a significant step toward building a stronger mental health system that offers earlier intervention, more community support and better access to specialist care for New Zealanders.