Source: New Zealand Government
New kaupapa Māori primary mental health and addiction services are being sought, Associate Minister of Health, Peeni Henare has announced today.
This work is part of the $2 billion mental health package announced in Budget 2019 and will make it easier for Māori to access primary mental health and addiction services and support from skilled kaupapa Māori providers.
“This Government has committed to ensuring anyone in distress can easily access free primary mental health and addiction support. And I’m passionate about making sure that for Māori, they can get that support from Māori in their community,” Peeni Henare said.
“I am especially pleased that the Ministry of Health has listened to feedback from Māori that government procurement processes can often result in low levels of success for many Māori providers. This is particularly true for small providers, without the means or capacity to comply with traditional processes, or even respond in the first place.
“The Ministry has responded by making the process more user-friendly and culturally aligned for Māori organisations of all sizes, while maintaining a robust and compliant procurement process. The aim is to encourage a wide range of Māori providers to get involved.
The hope is that by taking a different approach, it will encourage greater participation from small, medium and large Māori providers. The Ministry will be accepting registrations of interest in video format, including in te reo as an option, followed by oral presentations from short-listed providers. Oral presentations could possibly be via video conference so the need for travel is reduced.
As well as working with established providers who are ready to deliver services immediately – the Tuākana stream – the Ministry is also running the Tēina stream that is more like an incubator for new or smaller Māori providers. The Ministry will work with these organisations to provide support to develop services over time.
“We are aiming to strengthen community and whānau support systems so there is good information and a range of support available to provide prevention and early intervention so people can cope with small problems while they are still small,” Peeni Henare said.
Work on expanding primary mental health and addiction services for the Pacific community is also underway following the recent release of a request for proposals for new Pacific services.
More information about how to submit a registration of interest can be found at https://www.gets.govt.nz/MOH/ExternalTenderDetails.htm?id=22932612 .
