Matt Doocey’s journey to NZ’S first mental health minister

Matt Doocey is New Zealand’s first ever mental health minister. He spoke to reporter Kristie Boland about his passion for the role, and how his own mental health struggles play a part.

If the teenage Matt Doocey dealing with anxiety and depression in the 80s was told he would be New Zealand’s first mental health minister it’s unlikely he would have believed it.

“It’s been a hell of a ride in between,” the newly elected minister said.

Doocey was sworn in to his new role last week being the only minister from the South Island in the Cabinet.

The born and bred Cantabrian is humbled by the opportunity, he said, also taking up the role of minister for ACC, tourism and hospitality, plus minister for youth as well as being re-elected for his fourth term as MP for Waimakariri.

But his passion lies with mental health and he will use his own experience to improve mental health for the country, he said.

Doocey was in a serious car crash in his late teens that left him in hospital for weeks with serious head injuries.

“I had a number of follow up appointments but they were all about broken bones, no one ever said to me at the time maybe you need to think about what’s happened when you’ve had quite a significant knock to the head.”

His head injuries meant he would get easily distracted and frustrated and eventually led to periods of anxiety and depression. People told him to get help but he resisted until it got to a point he knew he had to.

“I quite often say that point literally changed my life. Not only did it start a journey where I can now have a more positive relationship with my mental health but I actually looked at the person who helped me and thought what an amazing job, I want to do what they’re doing.”

That’s when he decided to start training in the mental health field, later working in the mental health sector in both the UK and New Zealand.

He has a long career in mental health and healthcare management, including in the delivery of community health, mental health and social care services both in voluntary and government settings.

For his new role, it was all about timing, he said.

“I feel very blessed I’m a politician at a time where I think New Zealand wants to have a conversation about better mental health. I think if I’d been a politician a decade or two earlier we wouldn’t be having these open conversations.”

New Zealand had done well to break down the stigma around mental health, Doocey said, the issue now is getting timely support for those in need.

“So many people are coming forward having that faith and trust to reach out for support, quite often that timely support is not there and we really need to focus on how we provide better support for those in need.”

Doocey could not give any specifics on how he would achieve that but said improving access was a priority.

When he travels around the country, he is told again and again that New Zealanders want mental health to be treated as a priority, he said.

“The time has come for a stand-alone Mental Health Minister who will bring those voices not only into parliament but around a cabinet table to ensure we are responding to that call.”

While saying it was a “real privilege” to be the only South Island voice in Cabinet, Doocey could not say how he would champion it, saying he would talk about that specifically at a later date.