Sector strategy documents
One of the functions of the Commission is to monitor the implementation of the National Mental Health Strategy, which is updated from time to time as Governments change and services develop.
Publicly funded services are expected to follow the strategy, which identifies the priorities and principles for service provision across the whole country.
On this page:
Te Tāhuhu
Te Kōkiri
Te Puāwaiwhero
Blueprint for Mental Health Services
Te Tāhuhu
The current National Mental Health Strategy is detailed in Te Tāhuhu: Improving Mental Health 2005–2015: The Second New Zealand Mental Health and Addiction Plan (PDF, 511kb)
Te Tāhuhu sets out the 10 leading challenges and outcomes that Government expects the mental health and addiction sector, State services and other agencies to pursue in the period up to 2015.
These outcomes include all New Zealanders making informed decisions to promote their mental health and wellbeing. Outcomes also include people with experience of mental distress and/or addiction having the same opportunities as
everyone else to participate in the everyday life of their family, whānau, communities and society.
Te Kōkiri
The associated action plan is Te Kōkiri: The Mental Health and Addiction Action Plan 2006–2015 (PDF, 943kb).
Te Kōkiri sets out the specific actions that will be taken by the sector during the period up to 2015 to progress the 10 leading challenges in Te Tāhuhu.
For example, actions to build mental health and addiction services include strengthening the linkages between services and primary health care and continuing to develop and contribute to intersectoral activities that support recovery.
Actions to increase responsiveness include implementing initiatives that recognise the importance of family and increasing their participation.
Te Kōkiri does not set out actions for agencies outside the mental health and addiction sector. However, it recognises that a wide range of government agencies (for example, housing, labour and education) can contribute to the Government’s overall aim for mental health and wellbeing.
Hence the emphasis on intersectoral activities.ā
Te Puāwaiwhero
The Second Maori Mental Health and Addiction National Strategic Framework 2008-2015 Te Puāwaiwhero reinforces current mental health and Māori health policy.
This includes the overall aim of He Korowai Oranga, and whānau ora: Māori families supported to achieve their maximum health and wellbeing, and Te Tāhuhu - Improving Mental Health.
Te Puāwaiwhero concentrates on prioritised actions from Te Kōkiri to address Maori mental health population need matched with most recent evidence from
Te Rau Hinengaro - The New Zealand Mental Health Survey 2006.
Blueprint for Mental Health Services
The Commission is currently working on developing a new Blueprint.
The Commission’s Blueprint for Mental Health Services in New Zealand: How things need to be (PDF, 406kb) has been a very important document for services since it was published in 1998. Many people acknowledge it is time to update the Blueprint, and this is part of the Commission’s 2011/2012 workplan. The Blueprint was developed to help planners, funders and providers of mental health services to implement the national mental health strategy for more and better mental health services.
Subsequently, the Blueprint was adopted as a national policy and planning document. It has been endorsed and supported by successive Ministers of Health.
The Blueprint describes the broad groupings of people who need mental health services – age groupings, ethnicity groupings, high needs groups and so on – and the range of services that need to be available to meet the needs of these people.
It also describes the philosophy of recovery that should underpin these services – the assumption that most people will get better and can live well even if their symptoms recur or persist. It is about more and better mental health services.
The Blueprint strongly emphasises the need for a recovery approach in the provision of services, the importance of respect for individual rights and recognition of equality in recovery from mental distress.
There is an expanded section on meeting the needs of Māori, specific sections on the needs of Pacific people, and the needs of the families and whānau of people with mental distress are also given greater recognition. The Blueprint was developed to help planners, funders and providers of mental health services to implement the national mental health strategy for more and better mental health services.
Subsequently, the Blueprint was adopted as a national policy and planning document. It has been endorsed and supported by successive Ministers of Health.
The Blueprint describes the broad groupings of people who need mental health services – age groupings, ethnicity groupings, high needs groups and so on – and the range of services that need to be available to meet the needs of these people.
It also describes the philosophy of recovery that should underpin these services – the assumption that most people will get better and can live well even if their symptoms recur or persist. It is about more and better mental health services.
The Blueprint strongly emphasises the need for a recovery approach in the provision of services, the importance of respect for individual rights and recognition of equality in recovery from mental distress.
There is an expanded section on meeting the needs of Māori, specific sections on the needs of Pacific people, and the needs of the families and whānau of people with mental distress are also given greater recognition.
