PHANZ SUPPORTS CALL FOR URGENT ACTION ON CHILD AND YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH

The Public Health Association of New Zealand (PHANZ) has signed the Mental Health Foundation’s (MHF) petition urging the Government to take immediate and meaningful action to improve child and youth mental health.

The PHANZ supports the MHF’s call for urgent investment to ensure that all children and young people can access timely, high-quality mental health support. Stories like that of 16-year-old Jamie — a rangatahi struggling to receive the care they need and deserve — underline the urgent need for system-wide action.

The petition urges the Minister for Mental Health to commit to a comprehensive child and youth mental health action plan, backed by significant and sustained funding in Budget 2026. It calls on the Government to:

• Provide high-quality, therapeutic specialist mental health services

• Intervene early, well before children and young people reach crisis

• Strengthen resilience and promote positive mental health in schools

• Invest in prevention

• Address persistent inequities in mental health outcomes

The PHANZ shares the MHF’s long-standing concerns about the lack of progress in this area. Despite repeated warnings from advocates, practitioners, and communities, tangible improvements in child and youth mental health services have yet to be realised.

As a collective voice for public health, PHANZ stands alongside the MHF in calling for urgent, bold, and evidence-informed action to ensure all tamariki and rangatahi can thrive.

To sign the petition, please visit the MHF’s website: sign.mentalhealth.org.nz