Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Substance Harm 2026 – 2029

The Action to Prevent and Reduce Substance Harm 2026-2029 (the Plan) builds a foundation for a comprehensive and strategic health-system response to address substance-related harm.

The Plan sets out the key actions the health system will undertake to strengthen New Zealand’s health response to the increasing substance-related harm experienced by individuals, families and communities across the four priority areas of the mental health portfolio.

• Prevention and early intervention: Strengthening health promotion, harm reduction, drug checking, early warning systems and early support across frontline services.
• Access to services: Improving access to timely, flexible and community based support so people and families have a range of options where they can get help.
• Growing the workforce: Building a skilled, supported and culturally safe addiction workforce, including peer support and lived experience roles.
• System effectiveness: Strengthening leadership, contemporary models of care, and better data and performance monitoring.