Source: New Zealand Drug Foundation Te Puna Whakaiti Pāmamae Kai Whakapiri
6 August 2026
The NZ Drug Foundation is pleased to see a focus on early intervention to reduce drug harm in the Government’s new mental health and wellbeing strategy , released today.
“It’s great to see drug harm and addiction feature prominently in this strategy and to have a very clear focus on early intervention,” Executive Director Sarah Helm says.
“Previous plans haven’t had a strong focus on drug issues and have been less explicit about stopping harm before it happens, so this change in emphasis is good to see.”
Helm says she is particularly happy to see harm reduction approaches highlighted as a priority in the plan.
The strategy and accompanying implementation plan will form the backbone of the health system’s approach to mental health, wellbeing, and addiction for the next decade.
Helm is also positive about the plan’s shift towards a partnership approach to commissioning to improve certainty and long-term funding sustainability for providers in the sector.
“So many critical parts of our harm reduction and addictions sector survive on uncertain, short-term contracts, so a shift towards more reliable and sustainable funding is important,” says Helm.
“There are also a range of other positive measures announced as part of the Implementation Plan, such as an Addiction Prevalence Survey, and increased tailored support for specific populations with additional needs, such disabled people and the Deaf community.
The plan also progresses the previously announced Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Substance Harm , which includes many initiatives the the Drug Foundation and wider harm reduction sector have long called for, including a peer follow-up service for people discharged from hospital after an overdose, improving access to overdose reversal medication and overdose prevention training, and investing in community-based mutual aid and peer-led services.