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From the left, the mayor of Whangārei, Vince Cocurullo, mental health minister Matt Doocey, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Maori Health Directorate, Tai Tokerau, general manager Malcolm Robson is received at Manaia House.
Photo: RNZ/PETER DE GRAF
A unique counter for mental health and dependence services in the center of Whangārei will be an “absolute gamchanger”, making support more accessible to those who need, says mental health minister Matt Doocey.
The Minister of Docey and Health, Simeon Brown, traveled to the northern city on Friday to open the Manaia House, where the services spread by Whangārei in four degraded buildings will be combined under the same roof.
Manaia House has 75 consulting rooms and offices for 250 employees on its three floors, located between Rathbone Street and Laurie Hall Park.
The building itself is not new – it has already housed government agencies such as the Maori Land Court – but the interior has been fully rebuilt.
Doocey said the $ 21.6 million project was part of the government’s effort to improve access to mental health and dependence services.
It was an “absolute Gamechanger,” he said.
“Many people come to me saying they find the system very fragmented and didn’t know where to find support … it will change it.”
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey speaks at the opening of Manaia House.
Photo: RNZ/PETER DE GRAF
Undressed need research found a quarter of people didn’t seek help when they needed it, because they didn’t know where to go, Dosocey said.
One third did not seek help because I thought they would have to wait a long time.
Having all community mental health and dependence services in a central place would facilitate help from help, and all employees on a site would allow support to be offered earlier.
Doocey said people usually had complex needs with the necessary contribution of different services, which meant that an integrated counter or hub approach was much more efficient.
From the left, Tangata Whaiora’s representative, Reuben Carpenter, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey celebrate the opening of Manaia House.
Photo: RNZ/PETER DE GRAF
Alex Pimm, New Zealand Tekerau Operations Manager, said the new installation would help reduce stigma, moving the mental health services of buildings hidden out of sight, for an installation built in a prominent location.
“This will put mental health in the city center, where it is visible. I think this is really important.”
It could also remove some barriers to recruitment, because old buildings had no room for more employees, although there were vacancies in the mental health team.
Also helping Open Manaia House on Friday, Reuben Carpenter, a peer support worker of the Arataki Ministries and a representative of Tangata Whaiora (people with experience in mental health problems).
“Having the new installation here would be amazing for Tangata Whaiora, I hope it allows easier and more efficiency access and better quality of service,” he said.
“Some of us work in buildings that are not stopped, so this will be a totally new thing for the team.
“I’m sure Tangata Whaiora will love the space too, and I hope it reduces stigma and discrimination for people with mental health problems.”
The idea of gathering all Whangārei mental health and dependence services in a building was first discussed in 2016.
However, Infrastructure Chief of Infrastructure in the Northern New Zealand region Chris Cardwell said it had been a rocky journey.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Tangata Whaiora representative, Reuben Carpenter, cut the tape to open the Manaia House.
Photo: RNZ/PETER DE GRAF
The 3740 -square -meter building was purchased by the then Northland District Health Council and reconstructed from 2018 to 2023.
However, in October 2023, just a week before the concluded building was delivered by the contractors, a burst of water pipe.
The rupture occurred during the weekend of labor, so it took days before being discovered.
The damage was huge.
Fortunately, insurance covered the cost of reconstruction, but the project was significantly late.
The top floor suffered the slightest damage so that some employees could move late last year, freeing up space at Hospital Whangārei overcrowded.
The rest will change over the next two weeks with the building due to opening to patients from May 12.
The total cost of the project, US $ 21.6 million, included the purchase of the building.
A total of $ 19.5 million came from the government with the rest of other sources.
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