Bay of Plenty principals disappointed to be excluded from Government counselling initiative

The Counselling in Schools initiative will roll out across 141 schools nationwide. Photo / Getty Images

Tauranga principals are frustrated they have been excluded from a Government initiative providing 141 schools across the country with guidance counsellors.

But Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti says the region is not included because of "gold-standard" wellbeing programme Mana Ake.

A consultation process for the Mana Ake – Stronger for Tomorrow programme is under way, with a final report expected early next year.

Under the programme, workers support schools and whānau when children experience wellbeing issues such as bullying, parental separation, grief and loss.

However, one school leader says there has been "nothing tangible promised" in regard to how students and whānau will benefit from Mana Ake.

The Counsellors in Schools initiative will fund support for about 24,000 students across eight regions.

Mount Maunganui Intermediate principal Melissa Nelson she was "deeply disappointed" the region would not benefit.

Mount Maunganui Intermediate School principal Melissa Nelson. Photo / George Novak

And said she left a Mana Ake consultation day hosted by the Lakes District Health Board two weeks ago with a sense of "frustration and disappointment".

"There was no promise about funding, systems or structures that offered us any hope counsellors in schools will be a reality for our community in the near future," she said.

Nelson said, in her view, the Government had made "another inequitable decision".

"Once again I am left feeling deeply concerned about how we are supposed to cater for the mental health needs of our emerging adolescents."

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller said he was "appalled" schools in the region missed out.

"The idea you can essentially decide that the mental health of our young people in Tauranga doesn't warrant this investment is indefensible from my perspective."

He believed every primary and intermediate school in the region needed counsellors because of Covid-19 pressures and "significant" mental health challenges issues among students.

Bay of Plenty National MP Todd Muller. Photo / NZME

And he expected challenges would get worse for youth.

Arataki School principal Shelley Blakey said the hui was an opportunity for principals' voices to be heard but there was "nothing tangible promised".

"It is highly frustrating because we feel like we have been asked a lot over the past couple of years. We have shared a number of times what is needed to support our kids.

Arataki School principal Shelley Blakey. Photo / NZME

"I didn't hear how our kids and families were going to benefit. And that is really frustrating."

She said Mana Ake sounded "great in theory" but right now they were not getting the support needed to help children.

Pyes Pa deputy principal Emma Ranui said it was "not okay" that they would start next year without Government-funded mental health support in place for students.

Like Blakey, she left the Mana Ake consultation "really unsure" how it would look.

This was concerning for Ranui who said there was an immediate need for learning support for students in crisis.

School principal Blake Carlin agreed it was upsetting not being able to access funds from the guidance counselling initiative.

But Tinetti believed Mana Ake would provide "gold-standard" mental health support for Bay of Plenty youth.

She was reassured about its effectiveness after visiting principals in Canterbury - where the Mana Ake programme first rolled out in 2018.

"The ones I have spoken to are adamant this is one of the best supports they have ever seen around mental health.

Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti. Photo / George Novak

"The Counselling in Schools is great, and there will be that option in the future once we have done the evaluation. But we have an even better option in Mana Ake."

Asked why Northland qualified for both programmes but not the Bay, Tinetti said the region had the "greatest need" for mental health support among children.

"Apart from Northland, we have essentially gone into areas where we are not going to be rolling out Mana Ake."

After the Government's Mana Ake announcement in April, Lakes and Bay of Plenty DHBs agreed to undertake a consultation process to "understand what provision of mental wellbeing support may look like" for children in the region.

Lakes DHB director of strategy, planning and funding Karen Evison said 28 school representatives attended the Western Bay of Plenty workshop.

They were also speaking with schools that did not attend the workshops.

A proposed service model for Mana Ake will be submitted to the Ministry of Heath early next year.

Evison said to date funding had been only been provided for the consultation process.

The next step would be gathering insight from those in the health, education and social sector and developing a proposed service model for Mana Ake.

The model would be submitted to the Ministry of Health early next year.

The Ministry of Health was approached for comment.