Growing up in Canterbury 30-odd years ago, much like the rest of New Zealand, you never heard about mental health. It was a taboo subject and one that if you admitted struggling with, meant you were in some way weaker than those around you.

Even when I suffered significant head injuries in a car crash in my late teens, no-one in the medical profession or my friends and family thought to mention the possibility of mental health issues arising – they were just focused on fixing my physical health.

It wasn’t until I began to recognise signs of anxiety and depression that I finally reached out for help, and in doing so I discovered what I really wanted to do as a career, which was to help others in a similar position.

I never at that stage anticipated I would become New Zealand’s first ever mental health Minister but I am extremely humbled and privileged to find myself in that position today.

Mental health has always been a poor second cousin to physical health so the establishment of the role of dedicated Mental Health Minister is a very clear indication that we are prioritising mental health more, as a Government but also as a society in general. People are much more attuned to their mental health and wellbeing, and our younger generations in particular have really broken down the stigma of having an open dialogue about mental health, for which I applaud them.

The Role of New Zealand’s First Mental Health Minister

Other countries around the world have, to a greater or lesser degree, already introduced mental health into their governing system, with some going as far as creating their own mental health ministries. I preferred the Australian model, which has proven to be successful, where they introduced a standalone Minister of Mental Health.

This makes a lot of sense to me as mental health spans all aspects of our lives, from education and work to recreation and families. As a standalone minister I can look at how mental health outcomes can be improved in our schools, workplaces, for the unemployed, in the justice system…the list goes on. There is no point in trying to separate mental health from education, employment or social development when it is intrinsically linked to everything we do.

I’m also keen to start a workstream that can last the distance. Even as far back as 2018, as National’s first ever Spokesperson for Mental Health, I wrote to every political party in Parliament to invite them to join a cross-party approach to mental health that would focus on developing solutions and policy over a longer period than the Parliamentary three-year term. If we can continue to take a bipartisan approach to mental health, I believe we could break down some of the barriers to progress to improve mental health outcomes in New Zealand.

Mental health is one of the most complicated challenges facing our society, whether it be among young people, the elderly, rural communities or inner city, no-one is immune from it. It is what we do about it that makes the difference, and we need to ensure all New Zealanders have access to timely support – whoever, and wherever they are.

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