Why has region's promised rehab facility still not been established?

TUTA NGARIMU

An anti-methamphetamine community advocate wants to know why a rehabilitation facility promised three years ago by the Labour Government has still not happened in Tairāwhiti.

In her Budget 2019 speech, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced $20 million funding for the establishment of a residential drug treatment centre in Tairāwhiti.

The following year the Government promised in its election campaign the roll- out in the East Coast and Eastern Bay of Plenty, of the Northland District Health Board Te Ara Oranga strategy aimed at decreasing the number of whānau harmed by methamphetamine.

The health component of the strategy is a recovery-based treatment approach based mostly in the community.

“Statistics tell us that methamphetamine (meth) is a major destroyer of communities here,” said Tuta Ngarimu, the regional advocate for anti-meth movement New Zealand ‘P' Pull.

“It's now been two years, with nothing being started here,” Mr Ngarimu said.

“The programme is a cross-agency initiative alongside police, health providers and community groups.

“The initiative recently completed an evaluation showing a 34 percent reduction in crime for Northland.

“We desperately need it here.”

A major barrier for whānau looking for support was having to travel out of the district for residential rehabilitation services, he said.

“If we had an in-region facility, people would be more receptive . . . it's a real shame. They lapse when they see nothing local.

“A residential programme here would help so many people. The model has proven to have so much benefit for communities.”

Leadership group Manaaki Tairāwhiti received nearly $2.9 million in 2020 to support addicts and whānau from recovery to work-ready status.

They say the region needs more investment to build on what is already working here.

Whakapono Whānau is a collaboration of three local providers — Mauria Te Pono, Turanga Health and Tauawhi Men's Centre — who collectively deliver support for people affected by addiction.

The group was brought together by Manaaki Tairāwhiti who worked with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to secure funding for the programmes they run.

These include counselling, whānau support groups, one-to-one peer support and “navigators” — a staff member assigned to a case to help whānau connect with various services.

Manaaki Tairāwhiti chair and Te Runanga o Turanganui chief executive Ronald Nepe said the group also applied for funding for a feasibility study into the development of an in-region residential addictions treatment facility, proposed to be built in Te Puia Springs, but were not initially successful.

“Advocacy for a residential treatment facility has been driven by feedback from local whānau who have told providers that leaving the district to access residential treatment is a significant barrier to getting help.

“To have to leave home to get treatment is impossible for people who have commitments like caring for children or other family members, taking time off work or the costs involved in travelling out of the district.

“Manaaki Tairāwhiti are committed to working with the Government and the hauora (district health board) to see what more could be done right here.

“There is a need for greater investment that builds on what is already working here.”

Mr Nepe said the feedback from people who had accessed help had been overwhelmingly positive.

“While we have been able to increase the availability of support for people affected by addiction, more investment is needed.

“The wider the range of support available, the more likely it is that people looking for help will find what they need to live free of addiction.

“The root causes of addiction are complicated and services need to be able to help people do whatever they need to do to stay on track.

“The more pressure whānau are under because of work pressures, unstable housing, juggling childcare and other health needs like Covid, the easier it is for people to fall into addictive behaviour.

“Iwi and community providers can build up the connections people need to address the stresses they are struggling with. They can listen without judgement and be there to awhi (support).”

Hauora Tairāwhiti chief executive Jim Green said the latest on this project was the creation of the new $23.3m mental health and addictions facility on hospital grounds.

Construction was to start in early 2023 and be completed by 2024.

“Despite the restrictions placed by the Covid-19 pandemic, good progress has been made on progressing the formal sign-off of a business case and now into detailed design.

“The new unit will provide a much- improved environment for providing care to people across the range of mental health and addictions conditions.

“It brings a whole new model of care to life for Tairāwhiti people and will be tied back to the beliefs and needs of the people receiving the care, and their whānau/families.

“As envisaged, this will be a major step forward.”

Mr Green said Hauora Tairāwhiti had also made funding available for a study on the feasibility and dynamics of a community residential care facility.

“Current thinking is for community-based treatment, augmented by specialist residential providers out of district, supported by a new service for pre-and post-placement care for the individual and their family,” Mr Green said.

“This is all part of a range of new services made possible by increased government funding in conjunction with that for the new mental health and addictions facility.

Mr Green said these were “significant steps forward since 2019” with “more to come with funding announced in Budget 2022.”

Hauora Tairāwhiti Te Ara Maioha, Mental Health and Addictions Service (MHAS) group manager Sonya Smith said the mental health and addiction sector leadership in partnership with iwi and the broader social sector leadership were supporting substantial investment across different parts of the sector at multiple levels.

“This is a shared strategic agenda to respond to the symptoms of addiction and invest in preventative and early intervention initiatives — a long-term view.

“Many of the responses are led by community partners, including mana whenua and iwi (as is appropriate), with clinical support from Hauora Tairāwhiti and primary health organisations Ngāti Porou Hauora and Pinnacle.

“This investment is in direct response from a call from whānau and communities (Kia Tōtika Te Tū, 2018/19) and Whāriki (2020/2021) for increased resources for kaupapa Māori preventative and early intervention initiatives.”