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The Government has announced a $61.6 million funding boost to strengthen mental health crisis support, adding new frontline staff and peer-led services nationwide. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says the package will deliver faster help for people in distress and expand options for community-based care. “When someone takes the brave step of reaching out, I want that support to be there,” Doocey says. The investment includes 40 additional clinical staff for crisis assessment and treatment teams, two new 10-bed peer-led acute alternative services to reduce hospital admissions, three more emergency departments with peer-support workers, and two new Crisis Recovery Cafés, bringing the total to eight. “With 40 extra clinical staff, more New Zealanders will get faster access to crisis support,” Doocey says. “Peer-led services and cafés offer more choice and a non-clinical space for people in distress to be supported by those with lived experience.” Doocey says the package builds on Budget 2025, which funded 10 mental-health co-response teams and extra crisis helpline capacity.
