Planned NZNO nurses' strikes: 2 and 4 September 2025
NZNO nurses, healthcare assistants and some midwives plan to strike from 7am to 11pm on Tuesday 2 September and 7am to 11pm on Thursday 4 September. Patient safety is our priority and our hospitals will remain open. Continue to attend all appointments unless we have contacted you directly to reschedule.
We provide a range of mental health and addiction services in the community, rural areas and on our Whanganui Hospital campus, that includes an opioid treatment service.
Maternal Infant Child Adolescent Mental Health and Addiction Services (MICAMHAS) is located in Whanganui Hospital and offers 3 services.
Maternal mental health for expectant mothers or mothers who have a baby under the age of 12 months, who are experiencing complex mental health issues related to the pregnancy or birth.
Mental health services for infants, young people aged 0 to 18 requiring therapy, treatment and assessment including urgent assessments.
Alcohol and other drug issues alongside mild to moderate mental health provided by SUPP for young people aged under 19 which operates in the community including schools.
Our Community Mental Health Service (CMH) works with adults who have severe mental health conditions.
CMH staff work alongside the patient and their whānau in their own home or at the CMH offices to educate them and support their recovery. This may include providing information on medication, illnesses, community living and options. CMH staff also liaise with any other services involved in a patient's recovery such as their main healthcare provider or a community agency.
Our Alcohol and Other Drug Service works alongside community mental health teams based at Te Rito (Level 1 133 Wicksteed Street) and at Whanganui Hospital, alongside the Rangitikei, Taihape and Waimarino health centres.
The service works across the continuum of use (of substances) from social use to dependence. As well as educating and informing service users/tangata whaiora, the service provides interventions such as:
medical assessments
counselling
detoxification
opioid substitution.
Referral to other services is also provided. These can include funded residential programmes, self-help, support groups and community support.
Early intervention work with youth is also provided by specially trained staff.
Te Kotuku Hauora are one of the many services provided by Te Runanga o Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa. They provide Tamariki Ora, He Puna Ora, and Whānau Ora services. They have a mental health support worker as part of the team and a new kauapapa Maori mild to moderate service for people with mental health and addiction issues named Te Rau O Te Huia
Mokai Patea have Whānau Ora navigators that support whānau in change, crisis and work on health promotion and wellbeing. Mental health and addiction tangata whai ora and their whānau are supported by this team. Mokai Patea is mandated by 4 iwi:
Ngati Rangi has a range of services for its people based in Ohakune. One of these is the Hauoratanga team, part of the operational hub, Ngā Waihua o Paerangi. They provide Whānau Ora, He Puna Ora and Tamariki Ora
They employ a mental health support worker and manaaki the alcohol and other drugs practitioner who works for Te Oranganui but has an office with Ngati Rangi.
Te Oranganui Waiora Hinengaro – Mental Health and Addiction Services provide:
Mental health – assessment and support work
Alcohol and other drug - assessment, counselling, support and group work and step up, step down residential care
Tamariki and rangatahi - assessment and clinical input
Day activity service Monday to Friday
Mental health residential service accessed through the Health NZ service coordinator
He Puna Ora – pregnancy and parenting programme for parents using drug and alcohol
Korowaitia Te Puna Waiora – a kauapapa Māori service for people with mild to moderate mental health and substance use problems.
The registered nurses in Waiora Hinengaro provide clinical oversight education and monitoring to the mental health support workers in the above for rural providers. This model which has been in place for 10 years and allows the above iwi providers to employ their own people in their own space and have the clinical back up.
The Mental Health and Addiction Services are supported by the Consumer consultant and Family advisor.
Te Whatu Ora Whanganui Consumer Consultant
The consumer consultant works with the management team and staff to ensure the service users’ perspective is part of mental health and addictions service planning, policy development and review, recruitment, and service-wide decision-making.
The Family Advisor works with the management team and staff to ensure the family/whanau perspective is part of mental health and addiction services planning and changes, policy development and review, recruitment, and service wide decision making.