Election 2020: David Seymour announces ACT mental health policy at Tauranga Hospital

The ACT Party says it would take "real action" to solve New Zealand's mental health crisis.

Speaking at Tauranga Hospital today, ACT leader David Seymour said the party would set up a "world-class commissioning agency" to assess individual needs and contract the best providers for a person's therapy and care.

"It would put people at the heart of the system," Seymour said.

"The Greens think another minister is the answer but another politician taking a pay rise and the baubles office, and more bureaucracy is not how you achieve outcomes."

ACT health spokesperson Brooke van Velden said the party's solution, if elected, would be to create a new entity called Mental Health and Addiction New Zealand (MHANZ).

"The Government has established a Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, but it does not have real power to improve choice or establish a clear, nationwide approach to tackling mental health and addiction," van Velden said.

"ACT would give the commission the power to transform mental health and addiction services by taking the $2 billion per year currently spent through the Ministry of Health and DHBs and channelling it to providers and patients through an upgraded commission.

"MHANZ would not be a provider of services, but a world-class commissioning agency that assesses individual needs and contracts the best providers for a person's therapy and care. It would put people at the heart of the system."

The goal of MHANZ would be to develop expertise in evaluating where money is going and what services work based on evidence and data. It would issue clear and certain contracts to service providers while evaluating the outcomes and quality of care, she said.

Any provider that met strict criteria would be able to register with MHANZ to provide treatment and care. Funding for services would be determined by and attached to the care of individuals and their needs. MHANZ would carefully monitor providers to ensure New Zealanders were receiving high quality care.

"Patients would be able to choose any registered provider for their immediate care, providing greater autonomy, or would be referred to a specific provider in cases where a person lacks the capacity to do so or requires specialised treatment.

"ACT understands that mental health is an issue that can no longer be ignored. Our candidates understand the struggles that New Zealanders are facing. Our system doesn't need tinkering, it needs a major overhaul and ACT has the solution."