Access to mental health and addiction services improved across all three government targets in the September quarter compared with the same period last year, according to figures released by Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey.

The data covers Q1 of the 2025/26 year (1 July–30 September) and shows:

• Primary mental health and addiction support: 83.4% of people accessed support within one week, up from 80.8%.
• Specialist services: 82.2% accessed care within three weeks, up from 80.4%.
• Emergency departments: 66.8% of people in mental health or addiction distress were seen and admitted or discharged within six hours, up from 63.5%.

The ED measure remains the weakest of the three. The Minister said eight of 20 districts met the 77% milestone for shorter ED stays, including all South Island districts. The announcement did not list which districts fell short; detailed district-by-district results are in the target factsheets.

Across population groups, the release highlighted improvements including Asian communities lifting shorter ED stays from 53.8% to 59%, Māori specialist access rising from 82.5% to 83.6%, and Pacific peoples’ access to primary support increasing from 81.6% to 87.4%.

Doocey said the focus would be on working directly with districts to lift under-performance and reduce the “postcode lottery” in access. Workforce figures for the quarter reflect only semester one results, with updated data expected in Q2.