What the service is 

The Tararua Community Mental Health & Addictions team works with Whaiora (people needing services) and their Whaanau (family), general practitioners/nurse practitioners and other treatment providers to help provide care and promote recovery for adults needing specialist mental health and addiction treatment in our community. 

What we do 

The Tararua Community Mental Health & Addictions team provide: 

• Responsive advice, assessment, treatment and therapeuic interventions for people who require specialist mental health and addiction care.
• Support to other service providers through collaboration and education.
• Assists with connection to support and advocacy services for people with mental health & addictions needs. 
• Access to specialist cultural and peer expertise and support.

Locality Based Delivery Model 

Unplanned Care (UPC) Programme: provides a responsive urgent mental health & addictions triage and assessment, and interventions for people who are acutely mentally unwell. People accessing this service will be assisted to navigate their plan of care to the services that will best meet their needs and as close to home as possible. This locality-based programme is provided by experienced mental health and addiction practitioners who work within the centre. This is an 0800-1630 service only.

Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) Programme: This programme provides longer term treatment for people with complex mental health & addiction conditions; and provides care within a Flexible Assertive Community Treatment model (FACT). FACT aims to ensure continuity of care, to prevent admissions to hospitals and to foster inclusion, so that whaiora can maximise independence and be connected to community and whānau supports.

Time Limited Therapies Programme: This programme provides assessment, treatment and talking therapies short term for people who cannot have their mental health needs met within primary care.  An interdisciplinary team works together with the Whaiora and Whānau on a plan to address short term needs. Interventions will include consultation, assessment, individualised and family based short-term treatment as well as therapeutic groups delivered in partnership with primary care.  

Addiction Programme: Provides specialist addiction assessment, liaison and access to treatment and supportive referrals to hospital and specialist services and additional treatment providers as required.

Referrals to the Mental Health & Addictions Service: 

• Self-referral via walk in  

• Referrer Email to: 

• Phone call: 0800 653 357