Health Pasifika

We are a specialist Pasifika community mental health team.

We provide services for children and young people (0 to 19 years) and adults (19 to 65 years old) in the Pasifika communities in Wellington, Porirua and Kāpiti who have moderate to severe behaviour or psychological difficulties.

We can help you at our centre in Porirua, in your home or arrange to meet elsewhere.

You can be referred by your GP, family member, friend, parents or teacher (in the case of children and young people), Oranga Tamariki or other professional social or mental health services in the community. You can also contact the team directly via the contact details below and ask to be referred.

You are welcome to have your ngutuare tangata/aiga/ kaiga/kainga/magafaoa/family, other support people or an advocate with you when you use our services.

Once we receive your referral we can assess you, your child, parent or other person you care for. We will arrange an appointment and one of our clinicians will carry out an assessment. This initial ‘choice’ appointment can take up to 2 hours.

If we assess that we are the service that would be best for you or the person you’re supporting and you agree, we will develop a treatment plan and our team will work with you to carry out that plan.

If we believe that another service would be better for you or the person you’re supporting we can refer you on. Or, we may advise you on some on actions you can take at home rather than using a mental health service such as ours, at least for the time being.

Our services include:

• clinical and cultural assessment and treatment planning
  
• mobile care coordination and management
• consultation, liaison and other work with community, inpatient and specialty mental health services/teams and other Pasifika health providers
• mental health information
• community services information.

About our team

We have a team of professional, qualified and trained staff that includes:

• Pasifika cultural advisor/matua
• consultant psychiatrists
• Pasifika adult and child/adolescent clinicians
• Pasifika administrator
• child, adolescent and family clinical psychologist

What is a psychiatrist?

A psychiatrist is a doctor who, after gaining their basic medical qualifications, receives further training and develops the expertise to become a ‘specialist’ in identifying symptoms of, and diagnosing and treating, mental illnesses. You or the person you’re supporting may have been referred to a psychiatrist if your doctor feels you need specialist help.

Generally our service is provided free of charge. If you are a New Zealand citizen, or have residency in New Zealand, or hold a work permit valid for the next 2 years, you will not have to pay to use our community mental health service.

If you don’t meet the eligibility criteria for DHB funding, you may be able to pay to access assessment and treatment through a private service (which you may be able to receive some imbursement for from your insurance company).

If provisions of the Mental Health Act apply to your assessment, treatment or rehabilitation, you will not have to pay anything. If you have any concerns about your eligibility for health care, please contact Health Pasifika staff.

We are open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm.

We have adult clinic days on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 4.30pm.

We have child, adolescent and family service clinic days by appointment only.

Adult team

• Phone: 0800 300 181
               04 230 6324
• Address: Kenepuru Hospital, 16 Hospital Drive, Porirua - see map of Kenepuru Community Hospital.

Youth team (CAMHS)

• Phone: 0800 722 647 or 04 381 1660
• Address: Level 3, BNZ Tower, 14 Hartham Place Porirua