Source: New Zealand Government
The frontline mental health and addiction workforce has grown, with the latest target data showing the Government’s workforce target has been exceeded, giving more New Zealanders faster access to support, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says.
“The Government’s mental health plan is delivering faster access to support, more frontline workers, and a better crisis response,” Mr Doocey says.
“This latest data clearly shows we have turned the corner on reducing wait times and growing the mental health workforce.
“One of the biggest barriers to timely support has been workforce shortages. That’s why I have prioritised growing the frontline Health NZ mental health and addiction workforce, which has increased by more than 11 per cent since we came into office.
“The latest results continue this momentum, with 514 new mental health and addiction professionals trained over the past year, exceeding our target of 500 and up from 457 when we first started reporting on this data. This result includes specialist frontline workers such as occupational therapists, social workers, registered nurses, clinical psychology interns, and Stage 1 psychiatry trainees.
“We have grown both the clinical psychology and psychiatry workforce. We funded 74 clinical psychology interns, exceeding the 2025 target of 60.
“We are also seeing record uptake in psychiatry training, with 48 junior doctors entering Stage 1 training last year, up from 33 in 2024.
“Prevention and early intervention are key priorities for this Government. That’s why we set a target for 25 per cent of mental health and addiction funding to be invested in prevention and early intervention.
“For the first time, that target has been met, with 25 per cent of ring-fenced mental health and addiction funding going toward prevention and early intervention.
“Early intervention makes a real difference. By identifying needs early and providing the right support, we can help prevent issues from escalating.
“Nationally, 83 per cent of people are being seen within one week for primary mental health support, and nearly 82 per cent are seen within three weeks for specialist support, both exceeding the target of 80 per cent.
“A recent report from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission backs that wait times have decreased due to there being more specialist mental health workers compared to March 2023.
“These results show that mental health outcomes have improved and continue to improve under this Government.”
Notes to editor:
• The latest mental health and addiction target factsheets for quarter two 2025/26 can be found here