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Tu Te Akaaka Roa NZ National Office
Chair, NZ National Office
Dr Hiran Thabrew
Dr Thabrew is a dual-trained child and adolescent psychiatrist and paediatrician who works clinically with the Consult Liaison Team at Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland. He is the director of Te Ara Hāro, centre for infant, child and adolescent mental health at Waipapa Taumata Rau (The University of Auckland), the New Zealand Child and Adolescent Research Network (CARN) and ICAMH, a non-profit organisation for the promotion of child well-being.
Dr Thabrew is an editor for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) and Frontiers in Digital Mental Health journals. His interests include: child and youth well-being and mental health, digital mental health, workforce and service development. He gained his RANZCP fellowship in 2007, has been a member of Tu Te Akaaka Roa since 2018 and began his term as Chair in 2023.
Dr Thabrew is a dual-trained child and adolescent psychiatrist and paediatrician who works clinically with the Consult Liaison Team at Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland. He is the director of Te Ara Hāro, centre for infant, child and adolescent mental health at Waipapa Taumata Rau (The University of Auckland), the New Zealand Child and Adolescent Research Network (CARN) and ICAMH, a non-profit organisation for the promotion of child well-being.
Dr Thabrew is an editor for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) and Frontiers in Digital Mental Health journals. His interests include: child and youth well-being and mental health, digital mental health, workforce and service development. He gained his RANZCP fellowship in 2007, has been a member of Tu Te Akaaka Roa since 2018 and began his term as Chair in 2023.
The National Office in Aotearoa New Zealand shares its Māori name with the New Zealand National Committee – also known as Tu Te Akaaka Roa.
RANZCP New Zealand National Office
PO Box 10669
Wellington 6143
Aotearoa New Zealand
Tel +64 (0)4 472 7247
nzoffice@ranzcp.org
Follow us on Twitter @ranzcp_nz
Mental health information is available at yourhealthinmind.org
The Aotearoa New Zealand staff provide administrative support to Tu Te Akaaka Roa – The New Zealand National Committee (NZNC), the New Zealand Training Committee, as well as the wider range of Aotearoa New Zealand Faculty and Section Committees and the Vocational Education Advisory Body (VEAB).
Support provided to Aotearoa New Zealand-based Committees encompasses external relations, internal and external policy, internal and external Aotearoa New Zealand communications, and strategic directions.
Tu Te Akaaka Roa is committed to the Treaty of Waitangi; this commitment is reflected in this Committee’s and each member’s practice as well as through in the wider mahi (work) undertaken in Aotearoa. The Te Kaunihera (Māori Health Committee) works alongside the Tu Te Akaaka Roa in these efforts. Supported by staff in Melbourne with input from the NZ National Office, Te Kaunihera, also benefits from the experience, wisdom and leadership of Kaumātua, Ms Moe Milne.
Upcoming events
Meeting
NZ Faculty of Psychiatry of Old Age Annual MeetingJoin this 2-day meeting with speakers including Professor Susan Kurrle, and Carolyn Cooper, Aged Care Commissioner HDC Auckland
QT/Rydges Queenstown Dart Room, 7th Floor Queenstown 9300 New Zealand
Conference
RANZCP 2023 New Zealand ConferenceItiiti rearea, teitei kahikatea ka taea. This whakataukī (proverb) is used to encourage each other that with a lot of collective effort we can achieve our goals.
Rotorua Energy Events Centre Queens Drive, Rotorua 3010, New Zealand
Conference
Faculty of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry 2023 ConferenceUpdates and news
Health and Disability System Review
On 21 April 2021, the New Zealand Government made initial announcements about the health and disability system changes.
Key changes
- DHBs will be disbanded.
- A new organisation ‘Health NZ’ will be established to run operations and funding of the system (merging all the DHBs and the operational roles within the Ministry of Health).
- The Ministry of Health will act as an advisor, with oversight of the health system.
- A new Māori Health Authority will be established, working with Health NZ to fund services and with the Ministry to ensure policy will work for Māori.
- A new ‘Public Health Agency’ will be established within the Ministry, and a national public health service within Health NZ.
- A new Consumer Service User Forum will be set up.
- Disability services will be strengthened.
Interim entities will be established by September 2021 and the new system is set to start from July 2022 – at which point all DHB staff will be transferred to Health NZ.
The Māori Health Authority
Tā Mason Durie will lead the Steering Group that will advise the Government on the Authority (including on possible appointments and how it should be governed and held accountable).
The establishment of the Māori Health Authority will be an opportunity to make meaningful improvements for hauora Māori and to begin to address inequities and injustices (for example outlined in the Waitangi Tribunal’s Report on Stage One of the Health Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry).
The new health system - Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Repeal and replacement of the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992
As part of the response to He Ara Oranga, the Ministry of Health is repealing and replacing the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992 (Mental Health Act).
In 2022, the Ministry will analyse submissions and feedback from the sector and public, then draft and refine policy proposals with an expert advisory group. Once proposals have been agreed by the Minister of Health and Cabinet, legislation will be drafted in 2023.
The RANZCP has made an initial submission and asked to be involved throughout the process.
More information can be found on the Ministry of Health website.
End of Life Choice Act 2019
As of 7 November 2021, assisted dying services are now available.
If an attending medical practitioner and/or independent medical practitioner is unable to determine if the person applying for assisted dying is competent to make a decision, then a competency assessment by a psychiatrists is required. Psychiatrists willing to be involved in this process can register to be on a list, which is maintained by the Support and Consultation for End of Life in New Zealand (SCENZ) Group.
There is online training and an information sheet to help all health professionals understand assisted dying and their legal obligations. This also covers conscientious objection.
New Zealand fellows will continue to meet with the Ministry on a regular basis as implementation of assisted dying services progresses.
More information about this work can be found on the Ministry of Health’s website.
The Royal Commission’s Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care
The New Zealand Committees and the RANZCP’s Immediate Past President, Associate Professor John Allan, have engaged with the work of the Royal Commission to date, including by meeting with and providing information to the Royal Commission, particularly in relation to its investigation into abuse in psychiatric care. Assistance, expertise and information will continue to be provided to the Royal Commission.
Medicine supply issues
PHARMAC will continue to inform the National Office of relevant medicine shortages.If you know of a shortage, please email nzoffice@ranzcp.org.
