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Photo: Public Health Summer School - Otago University
Two years after a major inquiry into mental health and addiction, how much real progress has the government made in improving wellbeing in Aotearoa?
He ara Oranga - the Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction - was two years in the making, and put forward 40 recommendations including the reestablishment of the Mental Health Commission.
An interim commission was established to monitor the government's progress, and its report - delivered to the Health Minister in December, was released without fanfare last Friday - while a tsunami warning was in place for much of the country.
The report finds some progress is visible but describes frustration over the pace of change and points to an urgent need for an overarching action plan.
Kathryn speaks with Hayden Wano, who chaired the initial Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, and last month was confirmed as chair of the permanent commission, and Mental Health Foundation Chief Executive, Shaun Robinson.