Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty
Health and support Health, wellbeing services and advice Mental health and addiction

Mental health and addiction

Support services, help and advice for people with mental health and addiction challenges.

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Mental health and addiction services

Mental Health and Addiction Services provide community care focused on recovery and harm reduction.

The services are supported by a 24-hour seven-day-a-week acute/crisis service and acute admission inpatient services.

The Tauranga acute inpatient unit, Te Whare Maiangiangi, provides 24 beds and the Whakatāne acute/crisis inpatient unit, Te Toki Maurere, has 10 beds.

The main community services focus on:

  • community alcohol and drug
  • mental health services for older people
  • child and adolescent mental health
  • community mental health.

Some of these services also help with eating disorders, maternal mental health, early intervention, consultation and liaison.

Consumer and family/whānau advisors are available to help people in our communities, their families and staff with consumer and family issues.

Te Pou Kōkiri cultural advisors are available to provide cultural support to Māori. They work closely with community services including accommodation providers, iwi-based groups, family groups and consumer groups.

Crisis team contacts:

Tauranga 0800 800 508
Whakatāne 0800 77 4545

Resources 
Navigate Logo

Navigate is a collective of community organisations that help people dealing with mental health and addiction challenges to get well, connect with others, learn skills for life, and achieve their goals.

Navigate aims to provide help early and make it easier to get the support you need. Support is flexible, helping you to meet your needs, and is offered close to where you live in a way that is right for you and your whānau. Services are available for as long as you need and are free of charge.

Navigate includes a range of services working together to support people across the Bay of Plenty. It includes:

  • Emerge Aotearoa
  • LINC Support Services
  • Mental Health NZ
  • Vincent House Recovery Trust
  • Turning Point Trust, Junction peer support & Sage career support
  • Needs Assessment & Service Coordination (NASC)

Navigate is available to anyone who is dealing with mental health or addiction issues.

These can include stress, anxiety, depression, psychosis, and alcohol or drug misuse. 

You may be on medication after a diagnosis by your GP, or you may not. Either way, you can get the support you need. If you're not sure, give us a call and we'll see if these are the right services for you. 

If Navigate isn't the best option, we can help you find the path to the right support - such as Kaupapa Maori providers, specialist mental health or addiction services, or other heath and disability agencies.

When you are referred to Navigate you can talk with someone to discuss your needs and the type of support you would like.

Navigate services are practical and focus on solutions. They help you develop coping skills and confidence while linking you with community activities and programs that will help you achieve your goals.

Support might include:

  • learning new ways to deal with distress or anxiety, and improving your mood
  • help to make healthy lifestyle choices and to stay well
  • help accessing social housing and finding a safe place to stay
  • gaining independence, dealing with money, managing your tenancy
  • finding work, volunteering, or joining education
  • building community connections, finding hobbies and taking part in social activities
  • advocacy and being linked onto other health providers or specialist clinical services.

Getting the right help when you most need it can be confusing and frustrating. With so many different organisations available, it can be hard to know who to go to.

Sometimes there can be barriers to overcome like meeting certain criteria or being on a waiting list. People can feel like they are being bounced around different services before getting the help they need.

Navigate aims to make mental health and addiction support easier to access, and to avoid having to wait until things get too bad or end in crisis.

By getting support earlier and in a way that is right for you, Navigate can help you get on with your life and work towards your recovery goals.

Navigate support is independent of hospital services, and can advocate to help you get the care and support you need.

You can access Navigate by:

You can expect a response from a Navigate service within 24 hours.

If it is the right service for you, then you will be offered a meeting with a support worker to discuss your goals and plan a way forward.

Please note that Navigate is not a crisis service. If you need immediate mental health or addiction support please call:

Printable version of the Navigate Fact Sheet [PDF, 228KB]