More than numbers workforce data
Profiling the New Zealand adult mental health and addiction workforce
The More than numbers project aims to gather and share information about the workforce delivering alcohol and drug, forensic, and mental health services to adults (people aged 18 years and older).
Projects include the 2022 NGO workforce survey and analysis of Te Whatu Ora information using information from the Health Workforce Information Programme dataset.
Our reports on the 2022 workforce and previous work in 2018 and 2014 are available below.
2022 workforce reports
Work is underway to describe the workforce in NGO and Te Whatu Ora adult alcohol and drug, forensic, and mental health services.
Our first two reports from the NGO workforce survey are here:
- NGO workforce estimates report summarises the estimated national and regional FTE workforce size, composition, and trends
- NGO workforce development challenges report summarises key survey findings about lived experience, Māori, and Pasifika leadership in organisation identity and dedicated governance and workforce roles; and workforce development challenges and support needs.
Key findings are that NGOs are numerous and diverse. Since 2018, there are more Kaupapa Māori NGOs delivering services, and the size of the lived experience and Māori and Pasifika cultural workforces has grown. A national NGO workforce development plan is needed to reduce high vacancy rates and address many workforce challenges and support needs. This should be co-designed and co-produced with NGOs to reflect their diversity, address current inequities, and specifically focus on their workforce needs.
Other reports based on the NGO workforce survey will be available later this year.
Click here for our first Te Whatu Ora workforce report. This report estimates the FTE workforce size, vacancies, composition, and turnover. It also summarises the age, gender, ethnicity, and length of service profile.
Key findings found that a workforce development plan is needed to address various challenges. These include:
- growing sustainable workforce pipelines and addressing the mix of domestic and international workers,
- increasing ethnic and gender diversity,
- reducing vacancy rates,
- increasing recruitment and
- improving retention, producing equity in employment for Māori and Pasifika peoples and young people.
The Mental health and addiction workforce: 2022 primary, community, and secondary healthcare services report summarises available information about the publicly funded health workforce in services for people with mental health challenges or problematic substance use in primary healthcare, and community and secondary healthcare services.
2018 More than numbers workforce reports
In 2018, Te Pou completed three new reports on the secondary care adult mental health and addiction workforce in DHBs, NGOs, and in total.
These reports bring together information from different sources, including:
- a survey of 232 NGOs contracted by DHBs and the Ministry of Health to deliver adult mental health and addiction services, to estimate the workforce size, composition, and location
- an extract of information from the Health Workforce Information Programme (HWIP) dataset for DHB mental health and addiction employees, to determine the DHB workforce size, composition, demographic and service profile, by region.
Key findings are:
- The adult mental health and addiction workforce is estimated to be 10,832 FTE positions (employed and vacant), and has grown by around 9 per cent since 2014.
- NGOs and DHBs are delivering services to more people.
- The workforce composition across clinical, non-clinical and administration and management role groups remains similar to 2014.
- Workforce turnover overall is 15 per cent (compared to the New Zealand average of 19 per cent), and is higher for NGOs (23 per cent) than for DHBs (12 per cent).
2018 reports:
2014 More than numbers workforce reports
In 2014, Te Pou surveyed DHB and NGO adult mental health and addiction services to estimate the workforce. More recent information about the workforce, regionally and nationally, is available from the 2018 More than numbers workforce reports (see above) and the DHB mental health and addiction employees profile report.
2014 reports:
The full report of the 2014 national mental health and addiction workforce is available, along with a 20-page overview:
- Adult mental health and addiction workforce report - overview
- Adult mental health and addiction workforce report - full report
Over reports focus on specific areas within the workforce:
