A ‘mental health policy' describes a political party’s position on mental health, and what they plan to do to support Aotearoa’s mental health if elected. Parties often update and release their mental health policies ahead of an election.
How to engage political parties ahead of the election
Engaging your local MP or mental health spokesperson can be an effective way to advocate for change.
This guide will help you engage with them on the issues you care about ahead of the election and beyond.
What can your MP or mental health spokesperson do?
Your local MP is there to represent your views in parliament, so it’s important they know what matters to you. They can influence policy by:
- asking questions in parliament
- speaking out in debates
- proposing changes to bills or laws
- speaking to media.
A mental health spokesperson is an MP who leads the development of their party’s mental health-related policies. You can influence these policies by letting them know the change you want to see.
More on what MPs do can be found here.
You can let an MP know what matters to you by:
- sending them an email
- writing them a letter
- inviting them to an event
- arranging a meeting.
What is a 'mental health policy'?
What should I talk about?
MPs are there to represent you and so they’ll want to know what you care about.
If you or a loved one has experience with a mental health challenge or system failure that you think the government should be aware of, you might like to share that, if you feel comfortable and safe doing so.
Or you might want to share the change you’d like to see to mental health and wellbeing programmes, services or policies in Aotearoa.
You can see the actions we’re recommending to political parties in our What Works resource.
What is an example of an email I could send?
When advocating for change, sometimes knowing where to start can be overwhelming. To help, we’ve created a simple template you can use to write an email or letter to an MP.
This is designed to help you write persuasively about a specific mental health issue or action and how that action could make a difference.
Although the template includes a suggested action, this is only an example. You don’t have to use it. You can also include as many actions as you’d like - but keep in mind that fewer actions are more likely to grab an MP’s attention and may make it easier to get party support to implement them.
Remember, what matters most is you share what’s important to you – there’s no ‘right’ way to do this.
Already drafted a letter?
Keep it – MPs love to receive letters that look and feel personal, and these are more likely to hold their attention.
Who is my local MP?
A list of all current MPs is on the NZ Parliament website.
What is my electorate?
Find your electorate on a map on the Vote NZ website.
Who are the MPs for mental health?
| Party | Mental health spokesperson |
| ACT | Laura McClure - Laura.McClure@parliament.govt.nz |
| The Green Party | Kahurangi Carter - Kahurangi.Carter@parliament.govt.nz |
| Labour Party | Ingrid Leary MP - ingrid.leary@parliament.govt.nz |
| Te Pāti Māori | Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke MP - Hana-Rawhiti.Maipi-Clarke@parliament.govt.nz |
| National | Hon Matt Doocey MP - matt.doocey@parliament.govt.nz |
| New Zealand First | Hon Casey Costello MP (General Health Spokesperson) - Casey.Costello@parliament.govt.nz |
| The Opportunity Party | Jessica Hammond - Jessica.Hammond@opportunity.org.nz |
Share this page
There is no health without mental health
Help ensure everyone in Aotearoa has the tools to enjoy positive mental health and wellbeing.
Was this page useful?