Hikitia - Redefining mental health and addiction services

An artist's drawing depicting Te Wai o Pure – the facilities housing the Hikitia mental health and addiction service.
Artist impression: Te Wai o Pure (the waters of purification) - the facilities housing the Hikitia mental health and addiction service.

A significant proportion of people in prison struggle with mental health and addiction issues. In fact, Ara Poutama Aotearoa manages more people with mental illness than any other institution in New Zealand.

  • A 2016 study showed that around 62% of people in prison had experienced some form of mental health or substance abuse disorder in the 12 months prior.
  • The same study showed that 20% of people in prison had both a mental health disorder and a substance abuse disorder.
  • 91% of those in prison have had a diagnosis of mental health or substance use disorder in their lifetime.

In June 2018 the then Minister of Corrections Hon Kelvin Davis announced a dedicated mental health and addiction service as part of the redevelopment of Waikeria Prison. Gifted the name Hikitia by mana whenua, the service will deliver culturally and clinically effective mental health and addiction care services to men in our Waikato Region. It will operate out of Te Wai o Pure, a purpose-built facility within the new prison development.

Hikitia - meaning to lift up, carry in one’s arms and take away the troubles that overwhelm a person - represents our commitment to invest more in mental health and addictions treatment. The service will enable a journey towards wellness for men requiring specialised care in prison, uplifting their mana and oranga (wellbeing). The service will provide for people of all ethnicities and cultures.

The service will be built to reflect the needs of the disproportionately high number of Māori within the prison system by acknowledging access to culture as a basic right.  This will be achieved by offering access to cultural therapies alongside best practice clinical care.

The Model of Care is being designed and developed in partnership with our stakeholders, including mana whenua from Ngāti Maniapoto and Raukawa, Ngāti Naho, and Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

The core of the Hikitia service will operate out of Te Wai o Pure and deliver services at Spring Hill Corrections Facility and Tongariro Prison.