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The Tangata Whaiora/Consumer Participation Programme

The Tangata Whaiora and Consumer Team

The Local Mental Health Services Group is committed to supporting people using their services to have effective participation and involvement in planning, implementing and evaluating the services provided. The Tangata Whaiora and Consumer Team has lead responsibility for promoting and ensuring participation across all services and at all levels of the Group. The Team’s aims are:

  • Professional involvement in planning, implementation and evaluation of services
  • A service user perspective is presented, valued and implemented in decision-making at all levels of the service
  • Involve the wider service user community in service improvement initiatives
  • Promote a recovery outcomes focus and involve individual service users in their care and treatment.

Team Members

Team members work in specialist areas, with close links to service users, teams and other stakeholders in these areas. They bring a range of skills, experience, and qualifications to their work, and, most importantly, all team members have used mental health services. They share a passion to see that service user rights are respected, and that service user views inform and lead practice, recovery, and service improvements.

Monica Cartner
Consumer Advisor and Team Leader
1st Floor, Pipitea House
63, Thorndon Quay
Wellington
Monica can be contacted most reliably by:
E-mail: monica.cartner@ccdhb.org.nz
Mobile: 027-443-2425
Direct line: 494 – 9168 (no voice mail)

Monica was appointed as the first Consumer Advisor to Capital and Coast Mental Health Services in 2001. She has wide experience in social work, counselling, research, lecturing and organisational studies and a strong belief that recovery and rights are best served when service users, individually and collectively, are fully and effectively involved in the planning, implementation and evaluation of mental health services.

Te Wera Kotua
Tangata Whaiora Consultant
Transcultural Services
Te Whare Marie Ki Puketiro
PO Box 50-233
Porirua
E-mail: tewera.kotua@ccdhb.org.nz
Mobile: 027-240-8581
Phone: 04-918-2901 ext 7891

Te Wera has worked for several years in mental health mainly in the community. Te Wera works for Specialist Maori Mental Health Services at Te Whare Marie ki Puketiro Center Kenepuru. While most of his work is with the Maori Mental Health Service, he is able to provide tangata whaiora advice across all services. Te Wera is passionate about consumer rights and recovery training.
Te Wera is of Ngati Koata, Ngati Toa Rangatira, Te Ati Awa and Kai Tahu descent.

Bridget Greaney
Consumer Consultant
Regional Specialty Services, Youth and Young Adults
1st Floor, Pipitea House
63, Thorndon Quay
Wellington
Email: bridget.greaney@ccdhb.org.nz
Direct line: 04 494 9177 ext 8177
Mobile: 027 222 5614

Bridget has worked for many years in the youth consumer movement as both a youth consumer advisor and a consumer consultant. In her role she works with consumers aged between 13 and 25 who use Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Early Intervention Services, and the Regional Rangatahi Adolescent In-patient Unit. Bridget enjoys working with young consumers, introducing them to the concept of consumer participation, and passing on the message that recovery happens.

Paul Thornton
Consumer Consultant
Regional Specialty Services, Consultation Psychiatric Liaison, Personality Disorder, Maternal Mental Health
1st Floor, Pipitea House
63, Thorndon Quay
Wellington
Email: Paul.Thornton@ccdhb.org.nz
Direct line: 04 494 9177 ext 8177

Paul has worked in a variety of settings in the past. As well as being a consumer he has worked for the Mental Health Foundation on a literature review concerning mental illness and employment. Other work in the health sector includes work for SmokeFree NZ and Temporary Solutions. He has also been employed by two government ministries as a policy analyst for a number of years. Paul is committed to using his experience as a consumer in positive and creative ways in the teams he is working with.

Matthew Hall
Consumer Consultant
Alcohol and Drug Services, General Adult Mental Health Services
1st Floor, Pipitea House
63 Thorndon Quay
Wellington
Email: matthew.hall@ccdhb.org.nz
Direct line: 04 494 9177 ext 8177 (no voice mail)
Mobile: 027 335 6314

Matthew has worked in the mental health sector in a variety of placements over the last few years including minute taking for The Journey Forward workstream meetings and conducting interviews for research into discrimination for The Mental Health Foundation. His dual role as consumer consultant for Alcohol and Drug Services and General Adult Mental Health Services reflect an interest in dual diagnosis and he is a firm advocate for lessening the siloing that may occur between the two types of services.

John Tovey
Consumer Consultant
General Adult Mental Health Services Capital & Coast Mental Health Services
Lvl 1, Pipitea House, Thorndon Quay, Wellington
Mobile: 027 335 6313
Fax: 04 494 9165

John brings to the team many years of experience working in community based NGO’s and has also contributed a consumer perspective to the development of services at local, regional and national levels. His specialty area is Adult Mental Health, with a focus on the Kapiti, Porirua and South community mental health teams and he also has input at Te Whare O Matairangi, the CATT/HBT team and Service Coordination. John is committed to enhancing opportunities for consumers to contribute positively to the continuous quality improvement of the teams he works with.

Links to other Consumer Workers in Capital and Coast Mental Health Services

More Information

More information can be gained from any of the team members, including news of Consumer Team events, references and useful contacts.

This area has many consumer activities, groups and consumer-run services. Interested readers are strongly recommended to check out The Journey Forward web page on this site and contact Kites 04 384 3303 for a copy of their Mental Health Services Directory.

Useful contacts:

  • Consumer Advisor: Monica Cartner
    phone (04) 494 9168
  • Wellington Mental Health Consumer Union (Advocacy and other services) (04) 473 4433
  • Central Potential (Central Region Consumer Network) Administrator (04) 383 9600
  • Warmline 0800 200 207
  • Kapiti Choices Consumer Group 04 905 2110
  • Temporary Solutions (Consumer Employment Agency) (04) 384 3303