A former mental health worker says the New Zealand government has failed to address the needs of vulnerable Maori and Pasifika.
Since New Zealand's last census, the country's health sector has been working to find out what actually works for Maori and Pasifika but suicide attempts among Pasifika youth are at an all-time high.
The most recent statistics show more than 168-thousand clients across the country were seen by mental health and addiction services last year -- nearly 50-thousand more than when National began its term in government.
Indira Stewart has more.
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Photo: Illustration: Giselle Clarkson