Urgent roadmap for mental health needed: Commissioner

The Mental Health Commissioner is calling on the new government to take urgent action on mental health and draw up a road map for progress by the end of the year. Kevin Allan wants a clear plan for implementing the recommendations of the government inquiry into mental health and addiction, which was completed in 2018. In the 2019 so-called Well Being Budget, $1.9 billion was announced to help the one in five New Zealanders who experience mental illness or significant mental distress. Two years on from the inquiry report, Mr Allan says there's a pressing need for more progress - particularly for Maori. He speaks with Kathryn, along with Maria Baker, Chief Executive of the Maori health organisation Te Rau Ora and Shaun Robinson, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation.