Source: New Zealand Government
People in need of mental health and addiction support in Hawke’s Bay will have another place to turn, with the new Hawke’s Bay Crisis Recovery Café opening this week and peer support soon available in the Emergency Department, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says.
“We have seen strong growth in the peer support and lived experience workforce under this Government. We are better utilising peer support workers in a range of settings, and it’s been heartening to hear the difference they are already making,” Mr Doocey says.
“One worker told me that, reflecting on her own experience, the peer support service is exactly what she wishes she had when she was struggling – someone who can say, ‘I see you, I hear you, I know what you’re going through.’”
The new Hawke’s Bay Crisis Recovery Café, Te Wāhi Poutoko Hūmārie, will provide a calm, peer-led place in the community for people who need support.
“Emergency departments aren’t always the best environment for someone experiencing mental distress. They can be busy, brightly lit and feel far too clinical when often what someone needs is a calm place to sit down and talk to someone who understands.
“That’s why we are rolling out Crisis Recovery Cafés across the country, giving people faster access to support from people who can link them back to community services, lend a listening ear, and offer people experiencing distress a safe place to go.”
The café will be led by Connect Community Trust alongside a group of local mental health and addiction providers, building on the work they are already doing.
“The Trust already supports around 60 to 70 people every day, including people experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges, addiction and other complex needs.
“They have built strong relationships and will be a real asset to the café. I’ve said many times that some of the best solutions already exist in our communities, they just need to be backed.
“The café will open on Friday this week and will initially operate from 6pm to 10pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. The hours will be reviewed after the first four weeks to ensure they reflect local demand.”
“Connect Community Trust will also bring peer support into the Hawke’s Bay Hospital Emergency Department, with Peers in ED expected to be operating by the end of 2026.
“These two services will complement each other. The café provides an alternative place to go for people who may otherwise have gone to an emergency department, while Peers in ED means that if someone does present, they can have the support of someone with lived experience alongside them.
“This builds on the significant investment we have made in Hawke’s Bay, including making it one of the locations for a mental health co-response team, expanded youth acute respite, a new Youth Mental Health and Addictions Hub, increased investment in maternal mental health, and the Reducing Demand for Methamphetamine Programme in Wairoa and Central Hawke’s Bay.
“Together, they are part of our wider work to deliver faster access to support, more frontline workers and a better crisis response.”
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/30/hawkes-bay-gets-faster-access-to-mental-health-support/