The Children's Health Hub in Rotorua is home to one of Health NZ Lakes' two infant, child and adolescent mental health service teams. Photo / Megan Wilson
The Children's Health Hub in Rotorua is home to one of Health NZ Lakes' two infant, child and adolescent mental health service teams. Photo / Megan Wilson
School principals in the Lakes region are concerned for students after Health New Zealand Lakes reduced specialist youth mental health services by 90%.
A Taupō principal says the reduction could mean “missing out on care altogether” as students must travel to Rotorua for in-person psychiatrist care.
Health NZ reduced services from April 28 after “significant” issues recruiting two child and adolescent psychiatrists.
Rotorua and Taupō schools have been left in an “impossible position” and fearing for student wellbeing after a specialist mental health service was reduced by 90%.
Health NZ Lakes made the infant, child and adolescent mental health services cuts on April 28 after “significant” issues recruiting psychiatrists to fillvacancies.
Consequently, “only one on-site clinic” would be held each week in Rotorua, supplemented by a weekly telehealth clinic with a child and adolescent psychiatrist.
Health NZ had made several offers for permanent positions and one had been accepted, but the overseas doctor could not arrive until early next year, “at best”.
It was working to address the situation amid efforts to grow the national mental health and addictions workforce.
Taupo-nui-a Tia College principal Ben Claxton said he was “deeply concerned” about the service reduction.
“Taupō already faces challenges due to our relative geographic isolation, and requiring young people to travel to Rotorua for in-person [psychiatrist] care adds another layer of difficulty for those already in distress.”
Claxton said not all families could regularly travel for appointments, so for some, “this [change] could mean missing out on care altogether”.
The school had guidance counsellors and external providers, but “we don’t have the capacity to provide all the support ourselves”.
Claxton said the reduction would “likely increase pressure on school-based staff” and limit students’ access to support.
Taupo-nui-a Tia College principal Ben Claxton. Photo / Rachel Canning
The situation was especially troubling following a recent Unicef report ranking New Zealand fourth lowest out of 36 OECD and European Union countries for child wellbeing.
In his view, the report showed the “pressing need” for accessible mental health services.
Claxton understood recruitment issues were a concern for many sectors, including teachers.
However, “we need to continue to prioritise the needs of our rangatahi”.
Kendal said the school had referred students to Health NZ Lakes’ youth services, and the reduction would have “a huge impact” on young people’s wellness.
He appreciated the difficulties of recruitment, “but that doesn’t help the root cause of 42 young people waiting to be seen and 563 [using the service] in the Lakes district”.
Otonga School Te Kura o Tihiōtonga principal Gareth Cunliffe.
Otonga Road Primary School principal Gareth Cunliffe said access to specialist mental health services for children had “long been inadequate”.
“Any further reduction in this support would leave schools in an impossible position … we are already in crisis.”
Cunliffe said teachers and whānau were navigating “increasingly complex” behavioural challenges and supporting neurodiverse needs daily – often without the specialised professionals, training or resourcing required.
He said “millions” of dollars were invested in maths and literacy when the “more urgent issue” was the lack of mental health professionals, specialist teachers, and learning assistants.
“Until these foundational needs are properly met, no amount of curriculum investment will create lasting change, and our schools and communities will suffer.”
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists chairman Dr Hiran Thabrew said the longer young people waited for mental health care, the more complex and severe their conditions could become.
This made recovery harder and caused “even greater distress for those already struggling”.
It also placed “enormous pressure” on GPs, schools, emergency departments, and families – many of whom were not equipped to manage mental health conditions alone.
The Children's Health Hub in Rotorua is co-located with Rotorua Library. Photo / Megan Wilson
Health NZ Te Whatu Ora Lakes group director of operations Alan Wilson said the infant, child, and adolescent mental health service continued providing assessment and treatment by a psychologist or specialist nurse in Rotorua and Taupō, which was unchanged.
In-person clinics continued in Rotorua, and there were telehealth clinics in Taupō, with a child and adolescent psychiatrist available whenever possible.
A range of other services were available in the community for young people with “mild to moderate” mental health conditions, he said.
Health NZ acknowledged the national psychiatrist shortage was impacting parts of its service.
Wilson said while it was recruiting for two vacant psychiatry positions, it was seeking locum cover nationally and asking other districts for support.
This included exploring how services could be better shared regionally, including in-person and virtual support, “to increase access for all of our communities and young people”.
Wilson said patients who needed specialist psychiatry care were continuing to be prioritised based on urgency.
While there may be delays seeing a doctor, he said, assessment and treatment by a psychologist or specialist nurse were continuing.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
