van Velden BrookeGENERAL DEBATEBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business.Thank you Mr Speaker. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. I want to take the time to acknowledge that up and down New Zealand there will be people who are hurting and struggling with mental health on any given day but one in five New Zealanders in any given year struggle with their mental health. Four in five of us will struggle throughout our lives with a mental health challenge so it is of importance to note this awareness week for all of us. There will be people in our lives who are struggling who have never told us; there will be people who are quite open about it and it is wonderful because they've been able to express their feelings and be able to reach out for support. But there will also be those people that we have never suspected that are struggling because they show great confidence in life—and I know many people like this who do actually struggle in silence.I want to share a story of a person that I met earlier this year because I think it paints the picture of the mental health challenges that we have in New Zealand. I was out at dinner and—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Order! Order! Order! It's exceptionally rude to stand with the back to the speaker and to the Chair and especially when one's shirt is hanging out it makes it even worse. BROOKE VAN VELDEN: Thank you Mr Speaker. I wanted to share a story about a man that I had met earlier this year. I was out at dinner and I got talking to the table next to me as you do. I thought that we were just going to exchange pleasantries but I asked this person genuinely How has your year been?" I was expecting him maybe to talk about work or something but he just said to me "It's been really hard. My daughter has an eating disorder and she's not getting better." I could tell that he was clearly struggling because this was the biggest concern on his mind. I'm just asking this week: please everybody reach out and check in with people who you may never suspect to be struggling because it could be a conversation that you have that really helps to pull someone from a dark place that day.We have heard from business owners who are struggling through COVID lockdowns with anxiety and over the stress of their businesses. We've also heard from students who are struggling with that fear of the unknown for the future and from parents who are really quite worried about their children's mental health. We've also heard from grandparents who have been isolated and feeling extreme loneliness during this time. So mental health definitely affects all of us.There is a continuum of care of mental health that we need to address in New Zealand. I think carers and nurses do a fantastic job in our mental health space. They genuinely want the best outcome for every person who comes through their doors. I've had the privilege of visiting a few mental health facilities in New Zealand and seeing that for people where it is their home for life these carers are their family. For people who are in community suicide watch for example these people provide support security and peace at a time of mental distress. But unfortunately good care isn't there for everybody. I heard from a man who told me that the care that he received was like a flea on an elephant's back and that under his DHB there was no other provider for him to access. So we need to do better to help people when they are reaching out for support. We have a lack of choice and accountability in the system. We need to have a proper system that takes care of people and puts people at the heart of mental health and addiction care. The ACT Party's solution to this is to empower people seeking help to have a service that is tailored to their needs. Mental Health and Addiction New Zealand would be a new agency a centralised agency that would be the only central interface for mental health and addiction care throughout New Zealand. It would develop expertise in evaluating data and evidence of what works where the money goes and to whom because we know that there are services that work that should be given more money and services that don't that are being propped up by DHBs not holding them to account.We need to do better for the wellbeing of all New Zealanders and making sure to ask that question: are we getting the best value for our mental health dollar? Thank you Mr Speaker."