Mental health services for young people from the rainbow community will receive a boost of $4 million over four years.
LGBTI supporters at the Rainbow Pride march in Auckland last year. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said this was the first ever nationwide funding for rainbow youth and would be an important step towards improving their wellbeing.
Young gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people were at greater risk of being discriminated against, harassed and bullied, Ardern said.
As a result, they often had poorer physical and mental health, and were more likely to struggle with addiction, she said.
"Participants in the Counting Ourselves survey who are trans or non-binary were twice as likely to have attempted suicide in the past year than participants who did not report that discrimination.
"This is a long overdue commitment to some our most vulnerable youth," Ardern said.
The funding will provide $3.2 million to expand mental wellbeing services and $800,000 for the Rainbow Wellbeing Legacy Fund, which was established as an acknowledgement of people convicted of homosexual acts before the law was changed in 1986.