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Te Awakairangi Māori Mental Health and Addiction

Introduction

Attendees at one of several community wānanga held across Te Awakairangi, held to begin designing the new service. 

Te Awakairangi Māori mental health and addiction project gives precedence to the health inequities that exist in the Hutt Valley for Māori whānau presenting with mental health difficulties, as part of the Mental Health and Addiction Change Programme. 

Consulting with the local community is pivotal in developing our response to the needs of Māori, with specific input from key stakeholders and mana whenua. This kaupapa prioritises a change mindset and an approach to mental health for Māori that is community led.  

We have an opportunity to advance Māori mental health research, policy and practice, and incorporate holistic care, matauranga Māori (knowledge), rongoā (Māori healing) and wairuatanga (spirituality) into service delivery. We will take a whānau ora approach to recovery that is led by specialist Māori kaimahi and Māori mental health clinicians using the foundation of kaupapa Māori models of health and recovery.  

We also see an opportunity to improve equity and strengthen culturally responsive practice across all specialist mental health and addiction services. 

Other pages in this section

Community delivery model

News 

 

Timeline

2020: Report completed recommending establishment of Kaupapa Māori Mental Health and Addiction Service for Te Awakairangi 

February 2023: Project Manager De’arna Sculley appointed to lead the work of scoping and establishing a service 

July-August: Six Matariki Wānanga held across Te Awakairangi, bringing together community representatives to brainstorm and plan 

August: Lived experience voice joins the project 

September: Mana Whenua agree to support the project 

October: Expert and Governance groups established to guide the mahi (later merging to form one rōpū) 

November 2023-February 2024: Wānanga held to establish community delivery model 

March-April 2024: Community delivery model presented to rōpū, MHAIDS leadership team, and the community 

June 2024: Concept proposal submitted to Regional Commissioning Wayfinder, Tricia Keelan. 

November 2024: Jane Patterson (Ngā Puhi) joins the project as its new leader. 

Late 2024: Series of wānanga held to further refine delivery model with a focus on establishing a culturally led service that integrates and connects with existing services.

Pānui 

 

Attendees at one of several community wānanga held across Te Awakairangi, held to begin designing the new service.

Next steps

 

  • We intend to stand up the first iteration of a Te Awakairangi Māori Mental Health and Addiction Service in the second half of 2025. To start with, the focus will be on establishing a culturally-led service that integrates and connects with existing services, rather than maintaining a caseload.
  • The Kaitiaki Rōpū is working with design agency IDIA to create a visual resource describing the community delivery model.
E kore tēnei whakaoranga e huri ki tua a aku mokopuna 
Our mokopuna shall inherit a better place than we inherited 
Last updated 13 February 2025.