van Velden BrookeBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT): Thank you Mr Speaker. I wish to talk today about mental health and wellbeing in New Zealand and it's been a tough few years for New Zealanders. Through the COVID pandemic we've seen a lot of people facing stress and anxiety—people who we never suspected would be struggling—reaching out for help from their friends and families saying that they're not doing OK. We've heard from business owners who have been struggling not knowing whether they'll have enough cash flow to keep going for another month to keep employing their staff who they know desperately need jobs to provide for their families. We've heard from parents who are worried about their children who won't get out of bed in the morning because they're not going to school any more. That's what has happened through these last few years with COVID and the extended lockdowns that have forced children to stay at home away from their friends and their support networks. But we have also heard from children who are really struggling themselves. They have a lack of hope—a lack of hope for the future. They don't know what the future in New Zealand will look like and we know that there is an element of so much continuum of care—people who have serious health conditions and people who have stress and anxiety—and we need to look after all of these people in New Zealand. Now with the cost of living crisis we're going to see more and more families struggling as well and reaching out for help. But I want to talk to two particular examples. There was a young man that I met who said that the help that he had received from the DHB was like a flea on an elephant's back—it did nothing for him. And a man that I met who said that his daughter had an eating disorder and she just was not getting better. We need to do better for both of these people so that we have better mental health services for all New Zealanders. So what has the Government actually done? Well they promised in 2017—a big promise—that they were going to commit to improving our mental health record. They allocated $1.9 billion extra in the coming year and now we're spending a record $1.8 billion this year on mental health. It is our duty to scrutinise whether we are actually getting good results for that money. Two examples spring to mind that are outrageous. We have spent $235 million on building new mental health facilities and produced extra beds over two years. We've also allocated $4 million for tertiary mental health services and over two years that's only led to 300 counselling services. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission had a report out last week that said Despite significant investment in mental health and addiction services in 2019 improvements in services have not materialised as we had hoped for over this time." That is scathing. They said "We would like to see greater choice around acute and crisis care and expanded use of peer services and community providers who are clearly proving their worth in the delivery of services." I want to take just youth mental health as one example here. They said "We have seen little change in wait times with continued concerning wait times for young people." And the contracted funding for youth services is well behind schedule. The commissioning of these services is behind with less funding actually committed than intended. Young people have visited more primary mental health services that is true but they've also seen a huge increase in the dispensing of psychiatric medications—a 21 percent increase in antidepressants—and the commission said "It's likely that these increases have resulted from an increase in stress from COVID-19 and a lack of non-medical treatment alternatives." We need to be a country where we're providing access and choice to people—real choice—so that they have the best care for their own therapy rather than just accepting what's on offer and rather than just accepting a pill rather than getting to that real treatment of the cause of their illness. The ACT Party has a solution. We would empower the mental health commission to get the services that it truly is asking for. We would ask them to commission proper services give more access and choice to New Zealanders get the best providers for people's real care in New Zealand because we still face a real lack of care choice and access in New Zealand. Yes we have put more money aside. Has it led to better health outcomes for young vulnerable New Zealanders? No it has not. We can and we must do better. SPEAKER: Order! Before I call a member I'm just going to remind members—especially Mr Smith—that when you're wearing a mask it involves putting it over the nose. The photographs that have been taken of your deputy leader might well be undermined by your inappropriate mask-wearing."