The Ministry of Health’s Director of Mental Health, Dr John Crawshaw, publicly released the Section 99 Inspection into Canterbury - Waitaha Adult Inpatient and Associated Mental Health Services in August 2025.
The report made 18 recommendations across governance, care, and resourcing functions to improve services, supported by a 12-month monitoring programme and quarterly visits by the Director of Mental Health to understand and assess progress.
The first visit was completed in November 2025. Following the visit, Dr Crawshaw has said, “Visible progress has been made since the report was published and it is clear that the leadership team is committed to implementing all 18 report recommendations.
“It is also evident that staff across the service are working hard to make improvements and deliver mental health services to the region.”
Dr Crawshaw said there have been some notable gains since the report was published, in particular to the forensic nursing workforce, which is now nearly fully staffed. Previously, it carried up to 30% vacancies, creating additional pressure on services.
“There is still significant work to do over the coming months with a number of complex challenges to overcome. Particular attention needs to be paid to including lived experience perspectives across the service and working to establish and invest in a Māori mental health service.”
The Ministry of Health is working with Health New Zealand to support Canterbury with progressing these areas.
Further visits to assess the services and progress against the recommendations are scheduled to take place in February, May, and August 2026.
