Published on 21 Aug 2025

Transforming Mental Health Services: Supporting the Government Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry

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Allen + Clarke played a pivotal role in the 2018 Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction, co-leading the Secretariat and providing comprehensive support throughout this landmark investigation.

Our team helped amplify the voices of over 5,200 submitters and more than 2,000 individuals who participated in community meetings nationwide, culminating in the influential He Ara Oranga report that aimed to reshape New Zealand's approach to mental health.

Our work included: 

  • Co-leadership of the Secretariat ensuring smooth delivery, despite extremely tight timeframes. 

  • Designing and facilitating nationwide public engagement across 26 locations, ensuring diverse voices were heard.

  • Analysing thousands of submissions to identify key themes and priorities.

  • Assisting in the development of the Inquiry's final report, which was translated into 10 languages for maximum accessibility.
The Inquiry represented a watershed moment in New Zealand's approach to mental health and addiction with Allen + Clarke playing a crucial behind-the-scenes role in ensuring its success. We helped create a platform for thousands of voices to be heard and contributed to a report that sought to drive positive change in mental health services across the country.

A critical moment for New Zealand's mental health system

The Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction was established in February 2018 amid widespread concern about the state of mental health services in New Zealand. With broad terms of reference, the Inquiry faced the complex challenge of examining the entire mental health and addiction landscape and recommending comprehensive changes to improve equity, community confidence and outcomes. 

The Inquiry needed to: 

  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Engage with communities across New Zealand within tight timeframes.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Create safe spaces for people with lived experience to share often difficult personal stories.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Process and analyse thousands of submissions efficiently.
  • Website Generic Icons 1200x1200 GREEN 31 Deliver actionable recommendations that would drive meaningful system change.
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Our Approach

We assembled a specialised team that could adapt quickly to the Inquiry's evolving needs:

  • Strategic Leadership - our Senior Partner co-led the Secretariat, working alongside the Head of Secretariat to develop and implement the overall work programme. 

  • Engagement Design and Delivery - we created an inclusive engagement strategy that reached communities throughout New Zealand, with particular attention to ensuring safe and culturally appropriate forums. 

  • Flexible Resourcing - we provided surge capacity at critical points, supporting the scaling up of the secretariat team to over 25 personnel during the peak period. 

  • Research and Analysis - our analysts contributed to processing over 5,200 written submissions and feedback from over 400 stakeholder meetings to identify key themes and inform recommendations. 

  • Report Development - we supported the deliberations of the Inquiry and then the drafting and production of He Ara Oranga, ensuring the final report accurately reflected the voices and experiences shared throughout the process. 

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Colourful speech bubbles overlapping silhouettes in conversation

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Amplifying voices for systemic change

Our work delivered critical support that enabled the Inquiry to achieve its objectives:

  • Inclusive engagement - the Inquiry successfully heard from thousands of New Zealanders, including tangata whaiora (people seeking wellness), their families and whānau, service providers, iwi, kaupapa Māori providers, community organisations, and experts. 

  • Timely Delivery - despite the extremely tight timeline being extended by just one month, the comprehensive He Ara Oranga report was delivered in November 2018, just nine months after the Inquiry's launch. 

  • Accessible outputs - the report was translated into 10 languages, ensuring its findings were accessible to New Zealand's diverse communities. 

  • Influential findings - He Ara Oranga provided the Government with a clear roadmap for transforming New Zealand's approach to mental health and addiction, leading to significant policy changes and new investments in services. 

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Interconnected coloured pathways forming abstract network diagram