07/04/2021
World Health day is a good reminder to look after ourselves. It’s also a great day to celebrate organisations that promote evidence-based policies to support such goals.
Kia kaha Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
Today is World Health Day, and the theme this year is 'Building a fairer, healthier world'. It's about recognising that all over the world - including in Aotearoa - some of us struggle to make ends meet and have fewer education and employment opportunities, poorer housing conditions, and less access to clean air, water and health services.
We recognise that these social inequities affect our mental wellbeing and can put people at higher risk of developing mental health issues, while simultaneously making it harder for them to access support.
This is not only unfair: it is preventable. That's why we advocate for changes to improve the social, economic and cultural factors that affect our mental wellbeing. This means helping to tackle, for example, racism, discrimination, bullying and isolation. It also means standing up for the things we know protect people’s mental wellbeing, such as tino rangatiratanga, our sense of identity and belonging, and exercising our human rights.
We make submissions to government and decision-makers, and we inform the public about opportunities to get involved. All of our policy advice and advocacy is evidence-based, incorporates mātauranga Māori and is informed by our engagement with Māori, people with lived experience of mental illness and other affected groups. We believe that New Zealanders deserve better from our mental health system - and we will continue to fight to make this happen.
Take a look at some of our policy advice and advocacy work here: https://mentalhealth.org.nz/our-work/policy-and-advocacy/policy-positions
