Kia Manawanui Aotearoa: Update on implementation of a mental wellbeing approach 2023

Kia Manawanui Aotearoa: Long-term Pathway to Mental Wellbeing is the whole-of-government strategy and action plan for transforming Aotearoa New Zealand’s approach to mental wellbeing.

It provides a framework to take a holistic, population-based approach to support mental wellbeing across the life course. A range of factors influence mental wellbeing, including social inclusion, freedom from violence and discrimination, physical health and nutrition, cultural identity, spiritual wellbeing, and positive environments. We are working to create and develop the system-level changes that we need to support the whole population to stay well, while addressing inequities and ensuring appropriate and tailored support is there for those who need it.

Kia Manawanui provides a 10-year direction of travel and sets out 5 focus areas across which we need to rebalance our efforts – shifting to a stronger focus on addressing the wider determinants of mental wellbeing and promoting mental wellbeing across communities, whānau and individuals, while also ensuring that mental health and addiction services are available to those who need them.

This update highlights some of the progress we have made in the last 2 years in implementing Kia Manawanui. This is not a comprehensive view of all activities that have contributed to the implementation of Kia Manawanui, but it provides a sense of the gains we have made since it was published in 2021 and our focus over the next 2 years.