Matt Doocey: Mental Health Minister on Mike King's comments around alcohol use and mental health

The Mental Health Minister says he disagrees with Mike King's comments about alcohol but supports his wider work.

The Gumboot Friday co-founder told Newstalk ZB alcohol is a solution for mental health problems, as it can help stop negative thoughts.

Labour wants the Government to stop providing funding for Gumboot Friday, an initiative that supports young people with their mental health.

Minister Matt Doocey told Mike Hosking the Government investment gives an extra 15,000 young people timely access to mental health support.

He says at the end of the day, it's about young people getting the support they need.

Doocey says King is allowed, as an advocate, to have his own views.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Not the way to sell gumboot Friday. By the way,
is that Mike King has dug himself a hole.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Alcohol is not a problem for people with mental health issues.
It's actually the solution to our problem. It stopped those thoughts.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
God Super Political Labour wants the government funding, of course
stop the Order to General has already criticized the way
the money was handed out in the first place. Mental
Health Minister Matt Doocey's with us on this Matt morning
to you morning.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Mike. Hey, I'm glad I rung the right station this morning.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Very good to hear. Is Mike King wrong?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Look, I've made it very clear Easterday. I don't agree
with Mike's comments this time, but I have huge respect
for him, Mike and his advocacy. He's talked about his
personal experiences. He's really led some of the campaign in
New Zealand about breaking down the barriers of stigma and
discrimination and mental health. But this time I do disagree

(00:51):
with his comments.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
Was this always going to bite you in some way,
shape or form given the way the money was handed out?
And he's controversial to start with, which when.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
You look at the Order to General report, which I
think you're referring to. The order to General was actually
very complementary of the performance management measures and the evaluation
framework we've got built into the contract. Because at the
end of the day, this is about the thousands of
young people around New Zealand that through the hundreds of
councils of Gunboot Friday gets seen in sometimes less than

(01:24):
forty eight hours, and that's important to remember. This is
about the outcome, and the twenty four million dollars that
the government invested will give an extra fifteen thousand young
people timely access to mental health support.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
Just going back to the process. Throughout the process I'm
quoting here, the Minister has sought and received assurance from
officials that the implementation option chosen by the Ministry of
Health is compliant with government procurement rules. Did you throw
them under the bus when this got a bit angsty,
Not at all.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
I sought assurance that the contract with Gumboot Friday was
client with government procurement rules. I was given that assurance
and I was also told that the contract was not unusual.
So at the end of the day, the government made
an agreement through the coalition, we would fund Gumboot Friday

(02:15):
we ensured that was delivered compliant with government procurement rules.
And what we're delivering is a platform that's got hundreds
of councilors across New Zealand, that ensures that thousands of
New Zealand Kiwi young people at the time we support
they need.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
When you use the word though chosen by the Ministry
of Health, the Ministry of Health chose nothing. You guys
chose it buy a New Zealand first, didn't you.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Well, it was in the coalition agreement and we sought
assurance that the contract would be in line with government
procurement rules, which it was, and as I say, the
Order to General quite rightly pointed out that the performance
measures was something that he was impressed about. And actually
it's about the evaluation outcome of any contract to end

(03:00):
sure it delivers what it needs to deliver. And I'm
confident we're going to see thousands of young Kiwis get
the support they need.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
That's encouraging and I'm kind of look, I'm a believer
in the government of the day gets to do what
the Government of the day wants to do because they've
been voted in to do it. But the way you
did it puts you on the hook. And already because
King who is what he is, you're suddenly on a
major radio program having to defend him. Do you worry
that this is an ongoing pattern?

Speaker 2 (03:28):
Now? I disagreement because actually Mike is allowed as an
advocate to have his comments. As I said, I disagree
with his comments this time, but actually more broadly I
support the work he does. But actually we've got to differentiate.
We're actually talking about Government Friday, which is an online
platform where they've got hundreds of counselors who are ready

(03:50):
to go. We know we've got an increasing number of
young people with mental distress in New Zealand, and those
counselors can be deployed to support those young people and
actually complement the publicly funded mental health system which is
under a lot of constraint at the time as well.
So at the end of the day, this is about
the young people getting the support they need.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
Good stuff, all right, you have a good week. I
appreciate it, Matt. Do you se who's the mental health
Minister's reference at the beginning, of course to ring in
the right radio station. As the day he rang Morning
Report and was told there was no interview with Mike asking,
a scandal that will probably go into the annals of
broadcasting history, certainly as far as I'm concerned.

Speaker 2 (04:29):
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