Consultation on repealing and replacing the Mental Health Act 1992 | Calling for Asian and CALD communities to be involved

Message from the Ministry of Health

The Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992 is legislation that sets out when, why and how the government can intervene in a person’s life to give them mental health treatment against their will.

The Act has not kept pace with new approaches to care and we want to find out what mental health legislation in New Zealand should look like. 

Public consultation is open until 28 January - you can read more about this consultation on the Ministry of Health website. Philip Grady, the Acting Deputy Director General for Mental Health and Addictions, talks about the importance of this consultation in this video.

We are hoping that you have been receiving information on this important consultation and engagement through the existing Mental Health and Addiction Network (you can find a list of all the available engagement workshops here) but we wanted to reach out to see how we can further ensure that the voice of the Asian and CALD communities are included in these consultations.

It is so important to hear what all New Zealanders want from mental health legislation to set the direction of any new legislation that is developed, especially those people with lived experience of the mental health act, their families or those that support them.  We want to hear from communities, networks, and organisations, and to support people to engage with the consultation process. 

We are also open to collaborating with you to run a specific community consultation, including running an out-of-hours or weekend session if more appropriate, and our team is happy to come to any existing forums and share information so that people feel more comfortable in coming to the wider sector events.

Please contact the following personnel who can help work with you to support the Asian and CALD communities to be actively included in this important consultation and engagement.

Consultation on repealing and replacing the Mental Health Act 1992 | Calling for Asian and CALD communities to be involved