Source: New Zealand Drug Foundation Te Puna Whakaiti Pāmamae Kai Whakapiri6 August 2026The NZ Drug Foundation is pleased to see a focus on early intervention to reduce drug harm in the Government’s new mental health and wellbeing strategy , released today. “It’s great to see drug harm and addiction feature prominently in this strategy and to have a very clear focus on early intervention,” Executive Director Sarah Helm says. Helm says she is particularly happy to see harm reduction approaches highlighted as a priority in the plan. The strategy and accompanying implementation plan will form the backbone of the health system’s approach to mental health, wellbeing, and addiction for the next decade. “So many critical parts of our harm reduction and addictions sector survive on uncertain, short-term contracts, so a shift towards more reliable and sustainable funding is important,” says Helm.