That is partly because some of the people seeking mental health and addiction support from a hospital emergency department could be under the influence, and staff need to wait for them to become sober enough to receive certain treatments.
“That [target] was always going to be quite a challenge. Some of [the solution] will be around capital and infrastructure spend, some of the solution will be around more workforce in the ED, and part of it is better operating procedures and then building out the non-clinical spaces to allow people not to have to go to the emergency department,” Doocey said.
“I can already see from some of the improvement plans I am getting from Health New Zealand is that that planning and work is well underway, so I’m expecting over time for that performance to significantly increase.”
Nationally, the figures show:
Target not met – Shorter mental health and addiction-related stays in ED: 68.5% (2025/26 target = 77% / 2030 target = 95%) Target met – Faster access to specialist mental health and addiction services: 82.2% (2030 target = 80%) Target met – Faster access to primary mental health and addiction services: 83.7% (2030 target = 80%) Target met – Increased mental health and addiction workforce development: 514 people (Target = 500) Target met – Proportion of mental health and addiction ringfenced investment allocated to prevention and early intervention: 25% (Target = 25%)
There was a great variety at the district level.
For example, 35% of patients who accessed support for mental health or addiction at an emergency department within the Capital and Coast area, which covers Wellington and the Kāpiti Coast, were either discharged or transferred within the six-hour window.
For Counties Manukau, home to Middlemore Hospital, which has hundreds of patients come to its emergency department a day, this was 45%.
“I think there is a correlation between some of the more rural, regional smaller areas that just have more of a culture of being able to do things innovatively,” Doocey said
“Some of the challenges we get coalescing around some of the bigger hospitals and the difficulties there are with the large volume of patients coming in.”
The latest data showed 514 people started training in mental health and addiction areas in 2025, exceeding the Government’s annual target of 500.
Dr Jo Appleby, head of AUT’s department of mental health and wellbeing, said specific workforce policies like this were “wonderful” but there were implementation challenges.
“While there is policy for growing the workforce, I understand that Health NZ are still facing difficulties in getting vacancies or new roles approved for recruitment at a team level.
“At a policy level, there is good support, but with the significant budget restrictions facing all Health NZ departments, actually growing the workforce is not as easy.”
Appleby said mental health and addiction need were connected to socioeconomic conditions that resulted in financial, emotional and social poverty, and despair.
“Any mental health policy needs to address social determinants of wellbeing – ensuring people are fed, housed, feeling safe and not experiencing personal or institutional racism.
“Many mental health and addiction staff are working hard, going above and beyond to support people and whānau in systems that aren’t always designed to promote recovery-oriented care.”
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.