Cross-party co-operation on mental health

Newshub reports:

All parties within Parliament are pledging to work together to improve mental health and wellbeing in New Zealand.
A Mental Health and Addictions Wellbeing cross-party group has been set up to demonstrate politicians’ willingness to collective and enduring commitment on the issue.

It is made up of National’s Matt Doocey, Labour MP Louisa Wall, Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick, New Zealand First’s Jenny Marcroft and ACT leader David Seymour.

Good to see.

Louisa Wall is chair of the Health Select Committee and told Newshub the focus is on wellbeing.

“It’s how we deal with stress, how we process life events, challenges and our ability individually, and as families, to be resilient enough to seek help when we need it, but also to know that we’re not alone.
“It’s incredibly sad and traumatic that we have so many young people that choose suicide. I have an experience, my Youth MP in the last Parliament actually committed suicide. 

God that is sad.

David Seymour says joining the group was a no-brainer.
“It’s a positive development and I’m more than happy to support a cross-party group that takes the politics out of it and says there’s no political debate or disagreement about the fact that we need to do better with mental health,” he said.

Everyone wants to see the suicide rate drop. Solutions are very complex but we do need to do better.