From left, Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Māori Health Directorate Te Tai Tokerau general manager Malcolm Robson are welcomed to Manaia House. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
A one-stop shop for mental health and addiction services in central Whangārei will be an "absolute gamechanger", making support more accessible to those who need it, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says.
Doocey and Health Minister Simeon Brown travelled to the northern city on Friday to open Manaia House, where services scattered across Whangārei in four run-down buildings will be combined under one roof.
Manaia House has 75 consulting rooms and offices for 250 staff over its three floors, located between Rathbone Street and Laurie Hall Park.
The building itself is not new - it has previously housed government agencies such as the Māori Land Court - but the interior has been fully rebuilt.
Doocey said the $21.6 million project was part of the government's drive to improve access to mental health and addiction services.
It was an "absolute gamechanger", he said.
"Many people come to me saying they find the system very fragmented, and they didn't know where to find support … This will change that."
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey speaks at the opening of Manaia House. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
Surveys of unmet need had found a quarter of people did not seek help when they needed because they did not know where to go, Doocey said.
A third did not seek help because they thought they would have to wait too long.
Having all community mental health and addiction services in one central location would make help easy to find, and having all staff on one site would allow support to be offered sooner.
Doocey said people often had complex needs with input required from different services, which meant a one-stop-shop or integrated hub approach was much more efficient.
From left, tangata whaiora representative Reuben Carpenter, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey celebrate the opening of Manaia House. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
Heath New Zealand's Te Tai Tokerau operations manager Alex Pimm said the new facility would help reduce stigma by moving mental health services out of substandard buildings hidden out of sight, into a purpose-built facility in a prominent location.
"This will put mental health in the centre of the city, where it's visible. I think that's really important."
It could also remove some barriers to recruitment because the old buildings lacked space for more staff, even though there were vacancies in the mental health team.
Also helping open Manaia House on Friday was Reuben Carpenter, a peer support worker for Arataki Ministries and a tangata whaiora representative (people with experience of mental health issues).
"Having the new facility here would be amazing for tangata whaiora, hopefully it will allow easier access and more efficiency, and a better quality of service," he said.
"A few of us have worked in buildings that aren't up to par so this will be a whole new thing for the staff.
"I'm pretty sure tangata whaiora will love the space as well, and I'm hoping it will reduce stigma and discrimination for people with mental health concerns."
The idea of bringing all Whangārei's mental health and addiction services together in one building was first mooted in 2016.
However, Health New Zealand's northern region head of infrastructure Chris Cardwell said it had been a rocky journey.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey, Health Minister Simeon Brown and tangata whaiora representative Reuben Carpenter cut the ribbon to open Manaia House. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
The 3740-square-metre building was purchased by the then Northland District Health Board, and rebuilt from 2018 to 2023.
However, in October 2023, just a week before the completed building was due to be handed over by contractors, a water pipe burst.
The rupture occurred during Labour Weekend so it was days before it was discovered.
The damage was enormous.
Fortunately, insurance covered the cost of the rebuild, but the project was significantly delayed.
The top floor sustained the least damage so some staff were able to move in late last year, freeing up space at overcrowded Whangārei Hospital.
The rest will move in during the next two weeks with the building due to open to patients from 12 May.
The total cost of the project, $21.6m, included the purchase of the building.
A total of $19.5m came from the government with the rest from other sources.
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