‘Like a form of torture’: Māori far more likely to be secluded, watchdog finds
Tuesday, 16 June 2026
New Zealand’s mental health watchdog has accused the system of moving too slowly for those who need it most, after finding Māori remain far more likely to be secluded or placed under compulsory treatment and young people are still missing out on timely, age-appropriate care.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission says progress has been made in workforce growth, waiting times and overall access, but improvements are not reaching the groups experiencing the highest levels of distress.
Its chief executive, Karen Osborn, said the report was effectively a national report card.
“It really shows that the system’s not moving fast enough for those people who need the most support.”
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The report highlights the continued use of seclusion despite more than a decade of government policy aimed at reducing the practice.
In 2023/24, 755 people in mental health inpatient services were placed in seclusion, where they were confined alone in a room or area they could not freely leave.
It is generally used in the hope of stopping injury to either the person themselves or someone else as a “last resort” ‒ previous reports on the practice have reported that to some people it is “like a form of torture”.
Osborn said seclusion had no strong therapeutic benefit and could cause further harm.
“People talk about the experience of seclusion as being traumatic.”
Māori in adult inpatient services were 6.6 times more likely than non-Māori to be secluded. Pacific people were also secluded at a higher rate than other ethnic groups.
Osborn said the commission was calling on Health New Zealand to produce a national plan by June 2027 setting out how seclusion would be eliminated.
She stressed that the deadline was for the plan, not for seclusion itself to have ended.
“We know that there are some areas in New Zealand that have eliminated seclusion, so we know what is possible,” Osborn said.
The commission also found the number of people under compulsory community treatment orders increased from 6987 to 7173 in the year to 2023/24, a rise of 2.7%.
That was equivalent to almost one additional person being placed under an order every two days.
Māori were subject to the orders at more than twice the national rate, while their use varied sharply between districts, from 48 to 205 people per 100,000.
The report found unmet need for professional mental health support among Māori rose from 10% to 16% over two years.
At the same time, funding for kaupapa Māori specialist services failed to keep pace with overall mental health spending.
Kaupapa Māori services accounted for 9.1% of ring-fenced mental health and addiction funding in 2024/25, below their share in 2018/19. Only 29% of Māori who accessed specialist services used kaupapa Māori services.
“For Māori, it’s by Māori, for Māori,” Osborn said.
The system was also failing to keep pace with increasing distress among young people.
Nearly one in four young people reported high or very high psychological distress in 2024/25, while access to specialist services for 19 to 24-year-olds continued to decline.
Young people had the highest rates of declined referrals and waited longer than other groups for specialist care.
In 2024/25, 120 young people aged 12 to 17 were admitted to adult inpatient mental health units, a 7.1% increase on the previous year.
The commission wants that number reduced to zero and says New Zealand needs more youth-specific acute, respite and community alternatives.
Osborn said young people needed a direct role in designing the services intended for them.
“For young people, having a voice in the types of services is really, really important.”
She said accountability could not rest with the health system alone because housing, education, employment and online safety all affected distress.
“What we need is to have actions that address some of those factors that contribute to distress.”
There were, however, some measurable gains.
Eighty-three per cent of people using integrated primary mental health and addiction services were seen within one week, meeting the Government’s 80% target.
Access to primary services through the Access and Choice programme rose 15% in the latest year, while the adult mental health and addiction workforce vacancy rate fell from 11% in 2022 to 8% in 2025.
But the commission warned national targets could mask serious gaps. Half of health districts failed to meet the target for access to specialist services within three weeks, while children, young people and people seeking addiction treatment waited longer.
Emergency departments also fell short, with 67% of people presenting with mental health or addiction needs dealt with within six hours, against a milestone of 77%.
Osborn said the report was intended to “hold up that mirror to the system” and show both where targeted investment had worked and where agencies had failed to deliver.
“We really need to be bolder with the actions, with a high level of scale and pace, particularly for our young people and for Māori.”
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said the report showed the system is “starting to turn the corner”, pointing to improvements in staffing, access and waiting times.
Doocey also highlighted a 15% increase in people accessing primary mental health and addiction services through the Access and Choice programme.
“The 2025 report showed there were early signs of progress and the 2026 report shows progress has continued,” he said.
He was also supportive of efforts to reduce the use of seclusion, saying it should be used only as a last resort and that the upcoming Mental Health Bill would strengthen safeguards, prohibit its use for under-18s and require annual reporting on steps to eliminate it.
“I am committed to the goal of getting to zero seclusion over time,” he said.