My take from reading this article is that the work started by the previous government was starting to have a positive impact on these statistics. The article however, seeks to minimise this. However cuts in funding, which the article mentions, may already be having an impact, particularly given the hardship being caused by other government policies. The article fails to highlight this. The article also doesn’t mention that funding in this area was already poor before this current government came to power. I would suggest that these stats are likely to explode and it would have been responsible journalism to point out this possibility. It is seriously on the cards. Postscript: I worked in this area for 20 years
Yes, I am simply critiquing you and it’s not personal. In fact, I thought your article was very well written and you were dealing with a very difficult subject that could be politicised very quickly. You handled it very well, but nevertheless, the issues should be raised. Please carry on your good work. This area is going to get worse…rapidly. The impacts of a poorly funded mental health system are not fully understood or explored
Ultimately, an appropriate level of funding and a coordinated approach to both tackling mental illness and supporting the mental health of all New Zealanders has been absent during the reign of successive governments. It has long been in the "too hard" basket, with a splintered, disparate, and underfunded system failing people across Aotearoa for decades. This failure is thrown into sharp relief under this current government simply because of its policy and funding decisions.
Someone like Aaron will coin a phrase like "financial torture" when the Apology and Redress process is revealed in a few days. Think of te Tiriti settlements repaying Iwi !.7% of losses.
My take from reading this article is that the work started by the previous government was starting to have a positive impact on these statistics. The article however, seeks to minimise this. However cuts in funding, which the article mentions, may already be having an impact, particularly given the hardship being caused by other government policies. The article fails to highlight this. The article also doesn’t mention that funding in this area was already poor before this current government came to power. I would suggest that these stats are likely to explode and it would have been responsible journalism to point out this possibility. It is seriously on the cards. Postscript: I worked in this area for 20 years
Fair points, thanks for the feedback – SSL
Yes, I am simply critiquing you and it’s not personal. In fact, I thought your article was very well written and you were dealing with a very difficult subject that could be politicised very quickly. You handled it very well, but nevertheless, the issues should be raised. Please carry on your good work. This area is going to get worse…rapidly. The impacts of a poorly funded mental health system are not fully understood or explored
Ultimately, an appropriate level of funding and a coordinated approach to both tackling mental illness and supporting the mental health of all New Zealanders has been absent during the reign of successive governments. It has long been in the "too hard" basket, with a splintered, disparate, and underfunded system failing people across Aotearoa for decades. This failure is thrown into sharp relief under this current government simply because of its policy and funding decisions.
Someone like Aaron will coin a phrase like "financial torture" when the Apology and Redress process is revealed in a few days. Think of te Tiriti settlements repaying Iwi !.7% of losses.