Mental Health Week kicks off today, with the Green Party first out of the blocks to call for more upgrades to services.

High on the priority list is the push for free counselling for under 25-year-olds, along with funding for helplines and youth services.

Green MP Chloe Swarbrick has heard from people in tertiary education, who told her wait times for receiving treatment is too long.

She told Mike Yardley emergency access to counselling services is between two to eight weeks.

"By that point in time, too many people reported to me that they felt let down by the system, some people obviously, we had actually lost those people."

She said that because people know how much strain services are under, some people don't feel as if they're bad enough to ask for help.

"Accessing counselling to begin with actually looks quite frightening to people who aren't sure what they are experiencing or coming up against."

Swarbrick said a lot of people are asking for more intermediary services.

LISTEN ABOVE AS CHLOE SWARBRICK SPEAKS WITH MIKE YARDLEY