Mental Health & Addictions Kaupapa Inquiry
The Mental Health & Addictions Kaupapa Inquiry is part of the Wai 2575 Health Services and Outcomes Inquiry, led by the Waitangi Tribunal. It examines whether the Crown has met its Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations to ensure equitable mental health and addiction outcomes for Māori. This inquiry is one of the most significant investigations ever undertaken into Māori experiences of the mental health system.
For decades, Māori have faced higher rates of mental distress, higher suicide rates, greater harm from alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, barriers to accessing culturally safe services and under‑funding of kaupapa Māori approaches. The inquiry asks why these inequities exist, and what the Crown must do to fix them.
If you have engaged with the health system due to mental health and addictions related issues, have experience on behalf of a whānau member or are a health/clinical expert with experience in mental health and addictions, you could participate in the inquiry on behalf of the hapū.
We are currently seeking informants from the hapū who feel comfortable sharing their experiences or whakaaro. Our legal counsel, Dixon and Co Lawyers would be involved in drafting the evidence with you. The evidence will be used to support Patuharakeke’s Wai 745, that the Crown has failed to provide sufficient services for Patuharakeke whānau in the health system which has caused prejudice for Patuharakeke whānau.
Involvement in the inquiry may advance our ability to advocate for kaupapa Māori mental health services, push for funding and support that reflects our realities and build hapū‑led wellbeing strategies. Most importantly, our involvement ensures our hapū voice is part of the national movement to transform mental health and addiction services for Māori.
