Engage Aotearoa

Category Archives: Social Change

Petition Seeks Better Mental Healthcare Options in NZ – SIGN TODAY

February 15, 2013 9:51 pm ⋅

Petition to Provide Healthy Choices for People in Mental Healthcare in New Zealand 

A petition has been created to request The Minister of Health and the New Zealand Government take measures to improve access to psycho-social, holistic treatment options, evaluate the impact of current mental healthcare and reduce reliance on medication and compulsory treatment.

http://www.change.org/petitions/to-the-new-zealand-government-minister-of-health-honourable-tony-ryall-provide-healthy-choices-for-people-in-mental-health-care-in-new-zealand

Why sign this petition? 
Because lasting recovery comes from life change and life change is not inspired by medication and restricted freedoms, it is inspired by support, psycho-social skills, cultural connections, nourishing lives and therapeutic interventions. Signing this petition will help  send a message to government and ministry that the current status of things is inadequate and needs to change.

What does the petition say? 
We, the undersigned support Annie Chapman in her cause, and hereby request
  1. An independent inquiry into the impact of current mental health treatment for people diagnosed with a mental illness, relative to:
    • Their human rights
    • Their dignity as citizens
    • Their physical health
    • The cost/benefit ratio of long-term high-dose psychiatric medication (taking into account the costs to the health system and to the individuals, of physical side-effects of high-dose medications).
2. We also request that District Health Boards are required to provide, to those diagnosed with mental illness, greater access to health-promoting psycho-social, holistic (mind/body) and culturally diverse treatment options, and aligning with options that research has proven successful here in NZ and other countries in

    • Improving long-term recovery outcomes
    • Reducing dependence on psychiatric medication
    • Reducing reliance on compulsory treatment orders
Posted in: Community Participation, Human Rights and Legal Issues, News, Politics and Policy, Psychiatric Medication, Service-User Movement, Social Change ⋅ Tagged: , , ,

Mike King Visits Kaitaia to Inspire Solutions to Suicide: 5 & 6 March 2013

February 15, 2013 8:51 pm ⋅

Engage Aotearoa and The Key to Life Charitable Trust Present…

Mike King’s Community Korero

  • Venue: Te Ahu Centre
  • Date: Tuesday 5 March 2013
  • Time: 6 pm – 8 pm

It is time to stop throwing negatives at the problem of suicide and time to start throwing positives at a solution! Comedian Mike King gets straight up about his battle with depression, addiction and his ongoing journey back to recovery, including the mistakes he made along the way. Hear about the things he learnt from the hard times and how all those mistakes were blessings in disguise. This is a not-to-be-missed chance for the community to come together and explore how to support our youth and each other to survive and thrive. Plus heaps of useful resources to take away for later.

This important community event is followed by two student sessions the next day at Kaitaia College…

Mike King: It’s Cool to Korero

  • Date: 5 March 2013
    • Taipa Area School
  • Date: 6 March 2013 
    • Venue: Kaitaia College Hall
    • Session One – Years 9 & 10 at 9:00 am – 11:00 am
    • Session Two – Years 11, 12 & 13 at 11:25 – 1:25 pm

Students get to spend some quality time with Kiwi comedian Mike King as he talks about how he survived growing up. Mike’s is the story of a kid who wanted to fit in. It is about wanting to be part of the cool group but being 4’11 with buck teeth and big ears and needing a miracle to make it happen. Then one day he discovered he had a gift to make people laugh and he went from being bullied, to being liked and then many years later becoming a bully himself. Mike will share tips on how to deal with bullies and also why bullies do what they do. Most of all, he will speak about why it is important to talk rather than have conversations with yourself.  Mike’s main point is this… in life there will always be hurdles and heartbreak, but with perseverance, support and an attitude of hope, great things WILL happen.

Community Korero Poster Update 1 March

Posted in: Addiction/Substance Abuse, Community Participation, Engage Updates, Families/Whanau, Maori Communities, Men, Older People and Aging, Parents and Parenting, Service-User Movement, Social Change, Suicide Prevention/Support, Young People and Youth Issues ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

In Touch Autumn Newsletter from Mental Health Foundation of NZ

February 9, 2013 12:34 am ⋅

The Mental Health Foundation’s InTouch Autumn Newsletter is out now. Follow the link below to download it as a pdf.

http://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/file/Newsletters/In-Touch/2013/intouch-autumn-2013-web.pdf

Posted in: Recovery Stories, Service-User Movement, Social Change ⋅ Tagged: , ,

Hikoi for reTHiNK of Mental-Healthcare Choices Arriving in Auckland

February 3, 2013 12:17 pm ⋅

One Woman Walking: Hikoi for a Big reTHiNK of Mental Healthcare Choices 

Annie Chapman is on a hikoi across the length of the North Island to raise awareness about the need for better mental healthcare choices to be made available to service-users in New Zealand.

“I have ceased to be surprised now by how almost everyone I talk to about why I am walking has a story to tell of friends or loved ones in need, utterly failed by the mental health system.” ~ Annie Chapman, 21 December 2012

Annie Chapman will be in Auckland from the 14th – 21st February 2013 (and in fact she may arrive a few days earlier than this).

So far the Auckland events in place are:

• Saturday morning, 16th Feb, from 10 am til 12 noon at Morra Hall, Waiheke.  Note: there has been a change of venue to allow for a more formal setting.  Instead of Ostend Market as originally planned, Annie Chapman will now be at Morra Hall, Oneroa, Waiheke
• A meeting on 15th February with colleagues of Brigitte Sistig re Yoga and Depression
• A second radio interview with “Take it from Us” (Feb 19)
• A screening/talk of Jim Marbrook’s film “Mental Notes” as a fund-raiser on the 17th of February  at Connect SR in Glenfield.

If you have any questions or suggestions of other good possible places to meet, speak or be interviewed by media, please contact Annie direct on 027 4272644 or Hikoiforhealth@gmail.com

Find out more on the official Facebook Page

Help spread the word – invite your friends to the Facebook Event

Posted in: Community Participation, Families/Whanau, Maori Communities, Older People and Aging, Parents and Parenting, Pasifika Communities, People with Disabilities, Politics and Policy, Rainbow / LGBTQI+ Community, Service-User Movement, Social Change, Suicide Prevention/Support, Trauma, Young People and Youth Issues ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Mental Health Commissioner Seeks Service-User and Whanau Feedback: Survey Online Now

February 1, 2013 1:51 pm ⋅

The Mental Health Commission are running a service-user feedback survey, which can be found at:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3HCNGRQ

This survey is for consumers only, and is totally anonymous.  People who are family members or supporters of people using services are also able to complete the survey.

It will provide feedback to the Commissioner prior to their community meetings which begin in Auckland on the 15th of February.

If you can’t make it to the community meetings, this survey is your chance to make sure your experiences as a person using mental-health and addictions services are heard by our national policy-makers and funding bodies.

Posted in: Addiction/Substance Abuse, Community Participation, Disability Issues, Families/Whanau, Human Rights and Legal Issues, Maori Communities, Men, Parents and Parenting, Pasifika Communities, People with Disabilities, Politics and Policy, Service-User Movement, Social Change, Women, Young People and Youth Issues ⋅ Tagged: , ,

Excerpts from Stories of Recovery from Being Suicidal are Now Live Online

January 28, 2013 12:42 pm ⋅

The Butterfly Diaries creative book project is drawing close to completion. For nearly a year, six writers have been working to tell the stories of six Kiwis who survived the experience of being suicidal and found their way to a better place. The first three stories are now complete and excerpts are available for reading and sharing online. More samplers will be loaded as stories are finished.

Click here to read The Butterfly Diaries Samplers.

Read excerpts from…

Emerging from the Past Transformed: Raewyn Alexander’s creative essay about Mary’s Journey

Enough Angels: Owen Bullock’s haibun (a prose-poetry cross) about Sean’s journey

Breathe and Breathe and Breathe: Phoebe Wright’s short story about Brad’s journey.

Posted in: Engage Updates, Families/Whanau, Online Resources, Parents and Parenting, Personal Development Tools, Professional Development, Recovery Stories, Service-User Movement, Social Change, Suicide Prevention/Support, Young People and Youth Issues ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Recovery Story on Take It From Us 29 Jan 2013

January 28, 2013 11:20 am ⋅

On Take It From Us on Tuesday 29 January, hear how the unwavering strength and endurance of Zimbabwean-born Sophie Jayawardene surpassed her sometimes unimaginable challenges, isolation and mental torment. Her journey is captured in her book, Sophie’s World, Journeys of the Lost Soul, a story she will explain in this revealing radio interview.

Listen live on 104.6FM at 12.30pm or online www.planetaudio.org.nz

OR if you missed the broadcast, listen for the next seven days @: www.planetaudio.org.nz/takeitfromus

Catch up on the last four shows online: www.likeminds.org.nz

And don’t forget the new Facebook page @ Facebook.com and type take it from us in the search box;  email is takeitfromus@mail.com for any feedback and comment/suggestions for shows.

Posted in: Online Resources, Recovery Stories, Service-User Movement, Social Change ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Mangere Community Law Centre Says “This Is Relevant to YOU”

January 25, 2013 2:08 pm ⋅

A message from Mangere Community Law Centre:

The Family Court is under review. This IS relevant to you! The Family Court deals with a range of things that seriously affect our community, including: domestic violence, parenting, adoptions, wills and divorce. The proposed changes are significant and now is the time to speak out if you don’t agree with them – in part or full. Submissions close 13 February 2013 so don’t put it off.      

The 5 major changes that the Mangere Community Law Centre are concerned about are:

  1. Cost of $897 for mandatory dispute resolution will have to be paid for by the parties – this will be compulsory before a matter can go to Court.
  2. NO lawyers allowed unless the matter involves violence, urgency etc.
  3. Lawyer for child will rarely be appointed.
  4. Free Court counselling will be limited.
  5. No interim orders – parties won’t have a chance to trial arrangements to see if they can work.

Submissions can be in any format – even a simple letter. Click the link below to open the template from Mangere Community Law Centre that you can use to get started and get your thoughts heard!

Family Court Review Submission Template from Mangere Community Law Centre

You can also check out these websites for more information: http://childrenneedavoice.com/ and http://www.familylaw.org.nz/

You can read the Bill at: http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Legislation/Bills/5/4/2/00DBHOH_BILL11914_1-Family-Court-Proceedings-Reform-Bill.htm 

 

Posted in: Community Participation, Families/Whanau, Human Rights and Legal Issues, Older People and Aging, Online Resources, Parents and Parenting, People with Disabilities, Politics and Policy, Service-User Movement, Social Change, Young People and Youth Issues ⋅ Tagged: , ,

Problem Gambling Foundation Launch ‘No More Pokies Auckland’ Campaign

January 25, 2013 1:52 pm ⋅

Press Release: 17 January 2013

No more pokies Auckland. Choose a healthier future for our children

That is the theme for a campaign, endorsed by more than 20 organisations, which is being launched with a video of children sharing their hopes and dreams for the future.

The ‘no more pokies Auckland campaign’ aims to encourage people to ‘say no to more pokies’ and ‘choose a sinking lid’ when the Auckland Council begins consultation on its gambling policy from 18 January. Tony Milne, National Manager of Public Health at the Problem Gambling Foundation, says a sinking lid is the best option the Council has under current legislation to keep the number of pokie machines down in Auckland.

“A sinking lid means no new licenses can be granted for pokie venues and machines can’t be transferred if a venue closes,” he says. “That means that over time, the number of venues and pokie machines will reduce.” The Class 4 Gambling (Pokie) Venue Policy is being developed for Auckland Council to replace the policies of the seven legacy Territorial Local Authorities. Auckland ‘Supercity’ currently has 305 venues and 4,183 pokie machines excluding the 1,649 pokie machines at SkyCity Casino that will not be covered by Auckland Council’s policy.

Tony Milne says both Manukau and Waitakere Councils had adopted sinking lid policies and it would be great to see Auckland Council follow their lead. “We don’t want any more pokie machines in Auckland,” he says. “They aren’t just a ‘harmless flutter’. Pokies are dangerous and addictive machines often described as the ‘crack cocaine of gambling’. “Most adults (84%) never use pokies and approximately six percent use them monthly or more. Four in ten regular users will have a gambling problem or are at risk of developing one.”

“Of the people who seek help for a gambling problem, over 70 percent of them say that pokies are their main form of gambling and 80% of those who seek help have suicidal thoughts.” “We know the harm that pokies can cause and don’t want them to be part of the future for our children,” Tony Milne says.

To view the campaign video and make a submission visit www.NoMorePokies.org.nz

Facebook www.facebook.com/NoMorePokiesAKL

Twitter @NoMorePokiesAKL

Ends

The No More Pokies Auckland campaign is endorsed by the following organisations: The Anglican Diocese of Auckland, Asian Family Services at the Problem Gambling Foundation, Changing Minds, Child Poverty Action Group, Every Child Counts, the Gambling Helpline, Hapai Te Hauora Tapui Maori Public Health, Mapu Maia (Pasifika Unit at the Problem Gambling Foundation), the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, Methodist Mission Aotearoa, Otara Health Charitable Trust, Papakura Marae, Public Health Association (PHA), the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand, the Salvation Army, South Auckland Family Violence Prevention Network (SAFVPN), South Seas Healthcare, Transitioning Out Aotearoa (TOA), UNICEF NZ and Whare Tiaki Hauora.

For further information please contact:

Tony Milne

National Manager of Public Health

Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand

Ph 021 59 32 59

Andree Froude

Communications Director

Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand

Ph 027 489 4801

Posted in: News, Social Change ⋅ Tagged: ,

WINZ Reviewing How They Work with People with Disabilities and Health Conditions

January 25, 2013 12:14 pm ⋅

WINZ is seeking your views on how to assist disabled people and people with health conditions into work.

As part of the Government’s wider review of the welfare system, Work and Income is developing proposals for changing the way it works with disabled clients and clients with a health condition or mental-health condition.

To ensure the new approach is well-grounded we want people to share their views about what it will take to assist these jobseekers into work. Please go to www.msd.govt.nz/healthanddisability to share your views. This survey will be open to 5pm on Thursday 31 January.

The feedback will contribute to the development of proposals to be in place from 15 July 2013, and to a longer term work programme to assist disabled people and people with a health condition who can work, to have the opportunity to achieve that.

WINZ have held two public meetings and six sector workshops in November and December 2012.

There will also be an additional public workshop in Wellington on Thursday 31 January 2013 at St John’s Church hall (cnr Willis and Dixon Streets), 9.30 am to midday.  If you are interested in attending this meeting, please RSVP to msd_events@msd.govt.nz, and also advise any assistance you may need to enable you to participate.

If you have any questions, please contact Anne Hawker on 04 978 4142 or Sacha O’Dea on 04 916 3883. Alternatively you can email Anne.Hawker011@msd.govt.nz or Sacha.ODea001@msd.govt.nz

Posted in: Community Participation, Disability Issues, Human Rights and Legal Issues, Physical Health, Service-User Movement, Social Change ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , ,