People in Kaitaia who need mental health or addiction support now have another place to turn, with a new Crisis Recovery Café officially open, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announced.

“Emergency departments aren’t always the best environment for someone experiencing mental distress. They can be busy, brightly lit and feel far too clinical and scary, when often what someone needs instead, is a calm place to sit down and talk to someone who understands,” Mr Doocey says.

“That’s why we are rolling out Crisis Recovery Cafés across the country, giving people faster access to peer support workers who can help link people back to community services, lend a listening ear, and offer people experiencing distress a safe place to go.”

The Community Wellness Café – Te Whare Tau will be delivered by Rakau Ora, an organisation that already has strong relationships and a trusted presence in the Kaitaia community.

“Vanessa Kite, Rakau Ora’s Chief Executive and Founder, brings more than 20 years’ experience in addiction services and 18 years as a registered mental health nurse. She will be a real asset as the café becomes established in the community.

“Earlier this year, the organisation began delivering peer support groups as part of the Government’s plan to reduce meth harm. Its Wellness Hub, launched in 2021, has also provided a voluntary, community-led place for people experiencing mental health distress, substance-related harm, and homelessness to get support.

“The Hub has provided a good foundation and now has Government funding to transform into the Crisis Recovery Café, which has been named Te Whare Tau. Already training has been able to be provided for peer support workers, ensuring people coming into the café can receive the best peer-led support.”

Mr Doocey says the café is the first of three Crisis Recovery Cafés being established across Northland, with cafés also planned for Whangārei and Kaikohe by the end of the year.

“We have been successfully rolling out these cafés across the country and have seen real demand for the service, showing that this is exactly the kind of support people are looking for.

“From January to June 2026, an average of 850 people accessed the cafés each month, increasing to an average of 1,148 people per month between April and June.

“Te Whare Tau started seeing people at the Crisis Recovery Café on Monday, 3 August. Already, 106 people accessed the service in their first two weekends, which is a promising start.”

The café will operate after-hours on Monday and Friday during the week from 3pm to 9pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 7pm, with at least two peer support workers on each shift.

“This is part of our wider plan to deliver faster access to support, more frontline workers and a better crisis response.”