Young Kiwis are in distress as inequities amplify mental health challenges. Recent data showed one in five young people aged 15 to 25 were experiencing higher rates of psychological distress than other aged groups. Collated by the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Te Hiringa Mahara, the assessment also showed Māori, disabled and LGBTQIA+ youth had Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Mental Health’
I Am Hope – $24m boost for Gumboot Friday
Thursday, May 23rd, 2024
Mike King’s Gumboot Friday counselling service for young people will receive $24 million over four years as part of the Government’s upcoming Budget. It will increase the service’s current contracted counsellor pool from 555 to about 855, which will help provide up to 160,000 free counselling sessions for people aged between 5 and 25 over Read more
Loafers Lodge – one year on – who ‘really’ cares?
Monday, May 20th, 2024
It’s one year since the Loafers Lodge fire. Loafers Lodge did not have a fire sprinkler system. It was not required to by law. Five men died. Eighty-two people lost their homes. Some lost all their possessions. People were concerned, shocked, grieving. Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge told RNZ after the fire that he hoped Read more
Mental Health advocate Mike King is all for getting rid of Suicide Prevention Office
Monday, April 15th, 2024Mental health advocate Mike King is all for getting rid of the Suicide Prevention Office after an announcement that a number of staff would be cut as part of the Ministry of Health’s cost-cutting proposal. Speaking to TVNZ’s Sunday, King, known for his endeavours in the mental health area including the I Am Hope charity, Read more
The significance of school belonging in protecting mental health
Thursday, April 11th, 2024
In addressing the critical concern of mental health in adolescents, the role of school belonging has emerged as a focal point of contemporary research. Despite the increasing recognition of its importance, a comprehensive understanding of how school belonging impacts long-term mental wellbeing has remained elusive. New adolescent mental health study Our new study investigating school Read more
State of the Nation – some successes but escalating challenges too
Thursday, February 15th, 2024
In the midst of the country’s escalating cost-of-living crisis, the Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2024 report spotlights the growing socio-economic challenges confronting New Zealanders. The report, Ngā Tukunga Iho – The Things We Inherit, offers an annual assessment of the country’s social progress – this year especially – children and youth housing crime Read more
‘Dire need’ for school counselling service funds
Thursday, November 9th, 2023
School counselling service funds are badly over-stretched, the Association of Counsellors is warning. Some schools are coping – like eight Catholic schools in Dunedin – but only after stretching out their hands to their communities. They’re now getting funded by the Mercy Charitable Outreach Fund. Meanwhile, Catholic Social Services is helping support the service with Read more
More specialists needed to help people with severe mental illnesses
Monday, October 9th, 2023Top mental health specialists warn that the number of psychologists and psychiatrists must double to meet patient demand. Practitioners said New Zealand needed 15 psychologists per 100,000 people to meet demand – equating to 770 full-time workers. But Te Whatu Ora estimated the public sector currently employed about 350 workers. Ashley Bertelson, 18, said her Read more
Mental health specialists needed
Thursday, October 5th, 2023Top mental health specialists warn that the number of psychologists and psychiatrists must double to meet patient demand. Practitioners said New Zealand needed 15 psychologists per 100,000 people to meet demand – equating to 770 full-time workers. But Te Whatu Ora estimated the public sector currently employed about 350 workers. Ashley Bertelson, 18, said her Read more
Catholic faith tested during leadership stint
Thursday, August 31st, 2023
Todd Muller says his Catholic faith was deeply tested during his ill-fated 53-day stint as National leader. He “really struggled” during a self-described mental breakdown, saying his prayers “weren’t being answered”. But Muller, who will retire from Parliament after this year’s election, says hundreds of people reached out to him after he spoke publicly about Read more