Source: Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission
It is one year since the Mental Health Bill was returned to Parliament for its second reading, and Te Hiringa Mahara is calling on the Government to ensure this is passed into law this year.
On 17 April 2025, the Health Select Committee handed the Bill back to Parliament to be finalised. Since then, we have not seen movement in this critical area.
“Behind this Bill are 5000 voices who shared their experiences during the government’s Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction back in 2018,” says Te Hiringa Mahara Director of Mental Health and Addiction Sector Leadership, Sonya Russell.
“The message was received loud and clear; the current Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992 is outdated and in need of a review. Repealing and replacing the law is one of 40 recommendations made in the Inquiry report.
“While some changes don’t need to wait for the law to pass, the updated law will set a new standard for care. Delays are putting the intended commencement date, currently set for July 2027, at risk.
“Still, too many people experience compulsory community treatment and seclusion in our mental health services, and there is wide variation between districts with persistent inequities for Māori and Pacific peoples that must be addressed.
“We need to see a shift in the system to ensure human rights are upheld in practice. A new Mental Health Act is needed to support the reduction and ultimately the end of seclusion and enable clear pathways for safe and rights-based alternatives.
“Te Hiringa Mahara is urging all parties to come together, take on board the voices of the public that will improve things for people receiving support and their whānau, and move this Bill forward,” says Ms Russell.
