Connect, collaborate, learn
Hauora Hinengaro: He Ara Tūroa, highlights from our inaugural forum on crisis response and mental health across Aotearoa.
Hauora Hinengaro: He Ara Tūroa, our inaugural one-day Forum, brought together over 200 people from across Aotearoa to share insights, lived experience, and innovations in crisis response and mental health and wellbeing. We heard from diverse perspectives and approaches.
It was a day of connection, collaboration, and learning, grounded in our shared commitment to improving crisis response. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the energy, inspiration, and collective purpose that made this event so special.
Matt Doocey, New Zealand’s Minister for Mental Health, opened the conference with a compelling address, noting, “I actually think this will probably be one of the most important mental health conferences this year in this country.”
He also announced a significant expansion of crisis support services across New Zealand, including more frontline staff in crisis assessment teams, new peer-led acute alternative services, additional emergency departments offering peer support, and the rollout of new crisis recovery cafés nationwide.
This new four-year investment highlights the government’s clear commitment to strengthening crisis response across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Described by TheMHS ExecutiveDirector, Peter Gianfrancesco, as a movement and a space for action, the event carried a warmth that filled the room, as people gathered with curiosity and a shared commitment to the theme.
There were many powerful presentations and heartfelt conversations that illuminated the real challenges within crisis response and the essential steps needed to ensure support is accessible whenever and wherever it’s needed
