“Cultural identity, we can’t keep tinkering with a broken system”
By Romy Lee
Who I am and why I do this work
In my practice working in child and youth mental health, I wear a number of different hats. I’m the National Manager for child and youth mental health and the Principal Advisor for lived experience at Asian Family Services. I also work as a registered addiction practitioner and accredited lived experience supervisor, and I serve on the board of the Addiction Practitioners Association of Aotearoa.
But all of that professional experience only exists because of what came before it: ten years of my own journey in and out of mental health and addiction services as a young person and later as an adult. Those years, full of struggle as well as support, are what pushed me into this field and keep me grounded in the realities faced by the communities I serve.
The systemic flaws
We talk about a “mental health crisis,” but our systems were never built to handle the challenges young people face today. The world has moved so quickly over the past few decades that our structures simply haven’t kept pace.
For Asian communities in Aotearoa, the gaps are even wider. On top of the pressures all young people face, Asian youth deal with cultural identity struggles, racism, and the complexities of migration. The 1.5 and second-generation Asian New Zealanders are growing up in a context that has never existed before — one that pulls them in multiple directions without a clear place to belong.
Despite making up around 10–15 percent of the population, Asian communities have never been prioritised in mental health services. Because of the “model minority” myth — the idea that Asians are successful, quiet, high-achieving and therefore don’t need help — our needs are consistently overlooked.
Even when young people show distress, the signs are often missed. Teachers and professionals may see a high-achieving student and assume they’re fine, when in fact they are struggling deeply. And if they do reach services, those services often lack the cultural competence to understand their reality.
What needs to change
We’ve made progress over the last forty years by moving beyond the purely Western medical model of mental health. But right now, we’re at a crossroads. Technology, AI, and digital communication have transformed the way young people connect and see the world. Our systems aren’t keeping up.
In my own practice, one of the most powerful approaches has been using cultural identity as a tool for wellbeing. Helping young people understand who they are and where they fit is deeply protective.
We also need to shift our perspective on harm. Social media is often painted as toxic, but for young people it’s also central to their connection and identity. During Covid it was a lifeline — and it still is. Instead of demonising it, we need to learn how to use it constructively.
I don’t claim to have all the answers. But the real challenge lies in the questions we ask ourselves: How do we advance our perspectives? How do we design systems that fit today’s world, not yesterday’s assumptions?
My imperatives
If I had to name the most urgent shifts, there are four that stand out:
- Youth at the table. Young people need to be active participants at every level — from shaping policy and service contracts to working as peer support staff.
- Public understanding. Society must better grasp the unique challenges faced by different communities. Culture shapes experience, and those experiences impact wellbeing.
- Lived experience as standard. Involving lived experience voices should be the norm in policy, funding, and service delivery — not an afterthought.
- Sustainable workforce. We need a workforce that combines peer experience with clinical expertise. Services must trust young people to step into lived experience roles and give them the opportunities to succeed.
The bottom line
