Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia says a hui on Maori mental health has highlighted the need to increase the number of Maori working in the sector.
Waatea News reports the hui in Whangarei of the New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses looked at workforce development issues and at various strategies for treating tangata whiora.
Mrs Turia says historic and societal reasons, such as the loss of identity and the loss of land, contribute to the disproportionate number of Maori with mental health problems.
One in three Maori will have an episode of mental unwellness during their life, she says.
