Photo: Supplied / Auckland Rescue Helicopter TrustA Whakatāne therapist says the Whakaari eruption and Christchurch mosque shooting reveal a health system unable to deal with mass casualty events. This comes amid calls for millions of dollars of promised mental health funding to be urgently re-routed to Canterbury and the Bay of Plenty. Irene Begg, a trauma counsellor based near Whakatāne, was involved in the mental health response to the Whakaari eruption and the Christchurch mosque shooting. Begg believed the mental health system needs to be better prepared for traumatic events in the future, such as ACC widening its eligibility criteria so families were included. National Party's mental health spokesperson Matt Doocey said the Whakaari and Christchurch tragedies highlighted the the lack of mental health support available for some people.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 13, 2021 19:29 UTC