Street Maryan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Street Maryan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 25 October 2012. Volume:685;Page:6210. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
6. 
Hon MARYAN STREET (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: What progress has been made in the delivery of the Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project announced in April of this year with an extra $11.3 million provided to support it? 
Hon PETER DUNNE (Associate Minister of Health) 
 on behalf of the Minister of Health: I need to advise the member actually that her figure is wrong. She has looked at only one part of one agency’s investment in what is a multi-agency project. The actual total investment package in the Prime Minister’s youth mental health initiative is $62 million over 4 years. Vote Health is funding $33 million of that including the $11.3 million the member has mentioned. There is another $10 million for the expansion of nurses in schools and $2.7 million for an online e-therapy tool. Vote Social Development is funding $12.2 million and Vote Education $16 million. Against that backdrop excellent progress is being made. Examples of that progress include the 12 youth one-stop shops receiving interim funding of $50000 each and up to 30 decile 3 schools having nursing-led services established during next year. This is a comprehensive programme there are a range of initiatives being developed as part of it and good progress is being made with all of them. 
Hon Maryan Street 
: Why did New Plymouth’s youth one-stop shop Waves—one of 12 such youth facilities nationwide that was meant to benefit from the $11.3 million referred to in the primary question—close last week and is he anticipating the closure of any more youth one-stop shops? 
Hon PETER DUNNE 
: Let me take the second part of the question first: absolutely no. The reasons relating to the cessation of activity by Waves are particular to the relationship between that organisation and the Taranaki District Health Board. It would be inappropriate for me to start to talk in more detail about that at this stage. But what I can say to the House is that it is not a funding-related issue and that there are discussions under way between the district health board other providers and Waves to resolve the situation. 
Hon Maryan Street 
: Is he aware that 50000 young people are registered with the 12 youth one-stop shops across New Zealand which provided approximately 150000 interventions over the last year; if he is how does the closure of the youth service 198 Youth Health Centre in Christchurch a while ago and now Waves in New Plymouth square with the Prime Minister’s commitment to better faster and more youth-friendly primary health care? 
Hon PETER DUNNE 
: I am not sure where the member gets her information about Christchurch from. I have actually been to the opening of the 298 Youth Health service just a few weeks ago. In fact that service is flourishing. In respect of the Taranaki situation let me make the point again that it has nothing to do with funding. There are particular issues involved there that it would be inappropriate for me to canvass further at this stage but they are being worked through and the services that that agency provides are expected to be picked up. Can I make one other point. We have given an instruction to the district health boards that as they approach their next funding round they need to take into consideration the best ways of continuing to fund youth one-stop shops on an ongoing basis. 
Dr Megan Woods 
: Given the fact that the New Plymouth service provided assistance for over 3000 young people with mental or sexual health problems unplanned pregnancies or drug and alcohol abuse issues was any of the $11.3 million announced by the Prime Minister in April provided to enable nationally consistent funding for these youth one-stop shops as recommended by his ministry in a report in 2009? 
Hon PETER DUNNE 
: I said in the primary answer that there were funds of around $50000 for each of 12 youth one-stop shops set aside in that original announcement. So the answer to the member’s pressed question is absolutely yes. But I make the point again—and I am sorry that it seems to be taking a long time to sink in over on the other side of the House—that the issues relating to Waves have nothing to do with funding. They relate to the particular circumstances of that organisation. It would be inappropriate to discuss those further at this stage while other discussions regarding the future of a youth one-stop shop type of facility in New Plymouth are under way. 
Dr Megan Woods 
: Given that can he confirm that similar youth service centres in Kapiti Christchurch and Invercargill are under threat of closure because of funding issues; if so what does he intend to have to replace their essential and effective service in a youth-friendly way? 
Hon PETER DUNNE 
: I am afraid the member was not listening to my earlier answer either when I made the point that we have directed the district health boards as part of their ongoing funding arrangement in addition to the funds that are already available to make funding provision for the continuation of youth one-stop shop services.