2026 New Zealand election: Mental health and addiction policies

The key difference between the parties is how they think people should get help: earlier intervention and community-based care, more investment in specialist services, Māori-led support, or a stronger focus on addiction treatment and public safety.

There is also some common ground. Most parties recognise that New Zealand needs better access to mental health and addiction services, particularly for young people and people experiencing serious drug-related harm.

The following comparison reflects party responses and published policies available as at 1 November 2026, ahead of the 7 November general election.

1. What the main parties are proposing

Green Party

Strong focus on prevention and free access

The Greens propose:

• Expanding free mental health services throughout New Zealand.
• Extending services such as Piki, Mana Ake and Youth One Stop Shops.
• More support through Asian Family Services.
• Dedicated postnatal mental health services.
• Implementing the national suicide prevention strategy, with particular attention to people under 24.
• Removing criminal penalties for personal drug possession and use, and expanding harm reduction.

What this could mean: More young people and families could access free support in their communities, rather than having to wait until their problems become severe. People experiencing drug problems would be more likely to encounter a health-based rather than criminal response.

Election Survey 2026 - National Council of Women of New ZealandElection 2026: Where the parties stand on reducing drug harm

Labour Party

Focus on earlier intervention and properly funded services

Labour says it wants:

• Better access to mental health and addiction services.
• Properly funded specialist teams.
• Culturally grounded services, particularly for Māori.
• More timely access to treatment.
• Greater emphasis on prevention and early intervention.
• Properly resourced specialist and acute services for people with more serious needs.

Labour has indicated that its full mental health and addiction policy will provide further detail.

What this could mean: The intention is to help people access support before reaching crisis point, while maintaining specialist services for those with more complex mental health conditions.

Election Survey 2026 - National Council of Women of New ZealandElection 2026: Where the parties stand on reducing drug harm

National Party

Focus on existing investment and addiction services

National points to its Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Substance Harm 2026–2029.

Its commitments include:

• Almost $20 million in additional annual investment in addiction services under the current Government.
• Improving access to addiction treatment at different stages of addiction.
• Supporting drug-checking services.
• Improving access to overdose-reversal medication.
• Continuing efforts to disrupt drug supply and reduce demand.
• Supporting Māori health providers through needs-based funding.

National has indicated it is willing to consider further investment in kaupapa Māori addiction services, but has not committed to every proposed harm-reduction measure.

What this could mean: People seeking addiction treatment could benefit from expanded services and harm-reduction initiatives. However, National's approach places more emphasis on continuing its existing programme than on the broad drug-law changes proposed by the Greens.

Election 2026: Where the parties stand on reducing drug harmAction Plan to Prevent and Reduce Substance Harm 2026 – 2029

New Zealand First

Focus on youth support and crisis response

NZ First proposes:

• Expanding access to school counsellors.
• Funding Gumboot Friday at $6 million annually to provide free counselling for young people.
• Establishing Mental Health Response Units to respond to people experiencing acute mental distress.
• Increasing community-based youth mental health services.
• Using mobile health buses to reach rural communities.
• Reviewing GP funding so mental health and allied health professionals can work directly within general practices.
• Expanding addiction treatment and detoxification services in prisons.

What this could mean: Young people may have more opportunities to access counselling through schools and community services. People experiencing acute distress could receive a more specialised community response rather than relying solely on police or hospital emergency departments.

Responses from the political partiesElection Survey 2026 - National Council of Women of New Zealand

Te Pāti Māori

Focus on Māori-led and culturally grounded care

Te Pāti Māori proposes:

• Investing in kaupapa Māori mental health services.
• Providing free community-based mental health services for everyone.
• Strengthening Māori-led healthcare and decision-making.
• Shifting the health system towards prevention and whānau wellbeing.
• Improving access to culturally safe mental health and suicide prevention services.

What this could mean: More people could access care through Māori providers, with greater emphasis on whānau, tikanga, cultural identity and community support.

This approach could be particularly important for Māori who find mainstream mental health services difficult to access or culturally unsuitable.

Election Survey 2026 - National Council of Women of New ZealandNZ Election 2026 Health Policies for Resident Doctors

ACT Party

Focus on evidence and targeted interventions

ACT has provided less detailed information in the published election questionnaires.

Its stated positions include:

• Supporting evidence-based harm-reduction measures where they demonstrate value for money.
• Supporting legislation to protect people who call emergency services during an overdose.
• Supporting access to psychedelic-assisted treatments through appropriate medical regulation, including psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and MDMA for PTSD.

ACT did not complete the NZ Drug Foundation's full questionnaire, so its position on several proposed addiction reforms remains unclear.

What this could mean: Some patients could gain access to emerging treatments where medically authorised, and people witnessing overdoses could receive stronger legal protections if the proposed legislation progresses.

Election 2026: Where the parties stand on reducing drug harm

Opportunity Party (TOP)

Focus on expanding community care

TOP has some of the more detailed proposals for changing how mental health and addiction services are funded.

It proposes:

• A ten-year health plan with increased government health spending.
• Increasing primary and community care funding from 5.7% to 10% of Health NZ spending.
• More stable, multi-year funding for community and kaupapa Māori providers.
• Expanding the mental health workforce, including nurses, counsellors and peer-support workers.
• Free, clinically validated digital mental health tools for mild-to-moderate needs.
• Expanding drug checking and access to naloxone.
• Supporting a trial of an overdose prevention centre.
• Moving towards a health-based approach to personal drug possession.

What this could mean: More options for receiving support outside hospitals, potentially including online tools, community providers and peer support. More stable funding could also help existing services plan and retain staff.

Election Survey 2026 - National Council of Women of New ZealandElection 2026: Where the parties stand on reducing drug harm

2. How would things actually change for someone seeking help?

Here are some practical examples of how the different proposals might affect everyday experiences.

Situation	Potential changes
A teenager experiencing anxiety or depression	More school counselling, youth services and free community support, particularly under Greens and NZ First proposals.
Someone unable to afford counselling	Expanded free services under the Greens and Te Pāti Māori proposals; free digital tools under TOP.
Someone experiencing a mental health crisis	More community-based response options under NZ First, alongside the parties' broader specialist-care proposals.
Someone struggling with alcohol or drug addiction	Greater treatment and community support under National, Labour, Greens and TOP, with different approaches to funding and harm reduction.
Someone witnessing an overdose	Potentially better access to naloxone and stronger protection for people calling emergency services.
Māori seeking culturally appropriate care	Greater investment in kaupapa Māori services, particularly under Te Pāti Māori and the Greens.
Someone living in a rural community	Mobile health services under NZ First and broader community-service expansion proposed by other parties.

Importantly, these are potential outcomes if the proposals are implemented, not guaranteed immediate changes.

3. Addiction policy: where are the biggest differences?

The NZ Drug Foundation's October 2026 election survey highlights some particularly important differences.

Policy proposal	Party positions
Increase addiction treatment funding	National, Greens and TOP: Yes. Labour: Will consider.
Expand drug checking	National, Greens and TOP: Yes. Labour: Will consider.
National take-home naloxone scheme	Greens and TOP: Yes. National and Labour: Will consider.
Decriminalise personal drug possession	Greens: Yes. Labour and TOP: Will consider. National: No.
Trial an overdose prevention centre	Greens and TOP: Yes. National: No. Labour: Unsure.
Replace the Misuse of Drugs Act with health-oriented legislation	Greens and TOP: Yes. National: No. Labour: Will consider.

NZ First and Te Pāti Māori did not respond to the Drug Foundation's questionnaire by its deadline. ACT provided a separate statement rather than completing the questionnaire.

Election 2026: Where the parties stand on reducing drug harm

The distinction is significant:

• Health-led approach: Greens and TOP favour moving further away from criminal penalties for personal drug use and towards treatment and harm reduction.
• Treatment and enforcement approach: National emphasises treatment investment alongside disrupting drug supply and enforcement.
• Middle-ground approach: Labour emphasises prevention, early intervention and specialist treatment, while leaving several proposed drug-law changes open for consideration.

4. What are the biggest issues whichever party wins?

There are some important challenges that election promises alone won't resolve.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission's June 2026 roadmap identifies several areas requiring improvement:

• People need to access help earlier.
• Young people and Māori need better access to services.
• Crisis services need to respond more effectively.
• Community and specialist services need better coordination.
• The mental health workforce needs to grow.
• People with lived experience need a stronger voice in service design.

The Ministry of Health's new 2026–2036 Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy also emphasises a more connected system, including a principle of no wrong door when people seek support. Roadmap for mental health, addiction, and wellbeing | Te Hiringa Mahara—Mental Health and Wellbeing CommissionWHAT WE HEARD

5. Overall comparison: what should voters look at?

If your priority is…	Parties with particularly relevant proposals
Free mental health support	Greens, Te Pāti Māori
More school and youth counselling	NZ First, Greens
Earlier intervention and prevention	Labour, Greens, TOP
Māori-led mental health services	Te Pāti Māori, Greens, TOP
Addiction treatment investment	National, Greens, TOP
Drug-law reform and harm reduction	Greens, TOP
Community crisis response	NZ First
Digital mental health services	TOP

My overall assessment

There are three particularly important questions for voters:

1. Will people get help sooner? More free services are valuable, but they need enough qualified staff to avoid long waiting lists.
2. Will people get the right kind of help? Not everyone needs a psychiatrist or hospital admission. Accessible counselling, addiction support, peer workers and culturally appropriate community services are also important.
3. Will the funding be sufficient and sustainable? Short-term initiatives won't fix a system that struggles to retain staff and provide consistent care.

One important qualification: these policies are not all equally detailed or fully costed, and coalition negotiations could change what is implemented.

Useful independent sources for comparing the promises:

• National Council of Women – 2026 election party survey
• Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission – 2026 roadmap
• Ministry of Health – Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2026–2036

The biggest takeaway is that the election is not simply about who promises to spend more on mental health. It is about whether New Zealand moves towards a system where people can get affordable, timely and appropriate help before they reach breaking point, and whether that support will be available regardless of where they live or their financial circumstances.