The Government's revealed progress is being made towards their mental health and addiction targets. 

The latest data shows 80.3% of New Zealanders are accessing specialist mental health and addiction support within three weeks. 

However, that percentage is carried by eight of the 20 regions, leaving behind Northland, Gisborne, and Canterbury. 

Clinical Psychologist Dr Dougal Sutherland told Mike Hosking the access to specialist services was a positive surprise, as it’s not necessarily what he’d heard. 

He says he’s cautiously optimistic about the progress, but there is still room for improvement. 

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