It was established by the Sixth Labour Government with the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Act 2020.
In December 2020, Minister of Health Andrew Little announced Hayden Wano as chair of the Commission's board; other board members as of March 2024 are Professor Sunny Collings, Kevin Hague, Taimi Allan, Dr Barbara Disley, Tuari Potiki and Alexander El Amanni.
Te Hiringa Mahara is not in charge of responding to individual or whānau experiences of mental health or addiction services.
[5] Many social issues, including child poverty and employment, are among the contributing factors to high rates of suicide.
[12] The He Ara Āwhina (pathways to support) framework was developed by the Initial Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission.
This framework was also specifically designed to reflect He Ara Oranga, the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction.
According to the report, wellbeing from the Māori perspective showed multiple positive movements in economic growth, health, and life satisfaction.
For the general population, youth showed increased psychological distress, with 32% of young people feeling they did not receive adequate support during a difficult time.
These include advocating for disadvantaged groups, higher-quality and timely data indicators, and implementing the government's mental health pathway to benefit all communities.
[11] This monitoring report was the first of its kind and was a reconstructed model of the previous Mental Health Commissioner’s framework.
It was a transitional report intended as a temporary substitute for the He Ara Āwhina (Pathways to Support, a monitoring framework that is currently in the process of development.
The Commission' stated desires were to see advancements in the provision of services for addiction and mental health in order to transform the system in the direction of He Ara Oranga’s vision.
[19] Between 2016 and 2017 and 2020 to 2021, Te Huringa evaluated and provided transparency on how well mental health and addictions programmes were performing.
[11] The findings of this report were considered with most of the Commission’s previous research, with a specific lens on the necessity to prioritise marginalised groups such as Māori, Pasifika, and youth in the workforce and services development.
[19] The Access and Choice Programme is one of the 2019 Wellbeing Budget's major initiatives, and $664 million has been set aside for its implementation over a five-year period, from 2019 to 2024.
[20] Individuals who appear to be experiencing addiction, gambling harm, or substance abuse did not appear to be utilising IPMHA; therefore, the report claimed the way services are provided needed to be reviewed, preferably with the help of those who have firsthand experience.
[20] A December 2023 New Zealand Herald article reported on five Te Hiringa Mahara employees who had left due to what they described as toxic workplace conditions.