Govt boosts funding for New Plymouth crisis café to expand peer-led mental support

Doocey says traditional emergency departments are not always suitable for people experiencing acute mental health challenges.

Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey visited Koha Café in New Plymouth today, announcing a significant Government funding boost for the region’s crisis recovery café. The investment is aimed at strengthening frontline mental health support by offering people in distress a safe, calm alternative to hospital emergency departments.

Doocey says traditional emergency departments are not always suitable for people experiencing acute mental health challenges.

“Emergency departments are often not the best environment for someone in mental distress,” he said. “Bright lights, noise, and clinical spaces can feel overwhelming. Crisis cafés offer a calm, peer-led, non-clinical space where people can get support.”

The Koha Café service will be operated by Taranaki Retreat, an organisation that has been providing mental health support across the region for more than 11 years. The new funding will allow the team to extend their reach, increase opening hours, and support more individuals who may otherwise struggle to access timely care.

Doocey says the café model reflects a wider shift toward recognising the value of lived experience in the mental health workforce.

“Lived experience roles are gaining traction across New Zealand. We are better utilising peer support workers in a range of settings, including emergency departments, eating disorder services, and crisis alternatives,” he said.

He added that personal testimonies show just how impactful peer-led services can be. One peer worker shared that the support they provide is exactly what they wished they had when they were struggling—someone who could say, ‘I see you, I hear you, I know what you’re going through.’

Today’s announcement forms part of the Government’s wider mental health plan, which includes:

• More clinical workers in crisis assessment teams

• Two new 10-bed peer-led acute alternative services

• Additional peer support workers placed in emergency departments and crisis cafés nationwide

“My focus is on delivering faster access to support, more frontline workers and a better crisis response,” Doocey said.

The Government says strengthening community-based, non-clinical alternatives like Koha Café will help reduce pressure on emergency departments while ensuring people in distress get the compassionate, appropriate support they need.