What we did

We were engaged to provide leadership and support for the New Zealand Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction. In January 2018, the New Zealand Government launched its Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction, which was set up to hear the voices of the community, report on challenges currently faced by the system, and to recommend specific changes to improve New Zealand’s approach to mental health, with a particular focus on equity of access, community confidence in the mental health system and better outcomes, particularly for Māori and other groups with disproportionally poorer outcomes.

How we did it

We provided program leadership, strategic policy advice, planning, management, research and secretariat support to the Inquiry. Throughout the Inquiry, Allen + Clarke personnel, worked closely with the Inquiry panel, facilitated a flexible and responsive approach to securing and analysing evidence (including views of key stakeholders and of the public). This included helping design and deliver the stakeholder engagement processes and undertaking the delivery of a number of reports and other products including the Inquiry report itself, which was delivered to the New Zealand Government in November 2018.

Benefits for the client

Our work was acknowledged in the Inquiry report, which has been published on the Government’s website; https://www.mentalhealth.inquiry.govt.nz/inquiry-report/he-ara-oranga/.