News Item

Over 500 copies of the book New Zealand’s Mental Health Act in Practice were released in November 2013 at five Mental Health Law Conferences held in main centres around NZ.

The book, funded in part by the New Zealand Law Foundation, presents a thorough, non-governmental review of the workings of the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992. It looks at the implementation of New Zealand’s compulsory psychiatric assessment and treatment for persons with a mental disorder and considers how the Act is used and whether it needs to change.

The 30 contributors to New Zealand’s Mental Health Act in Practice come from a diverse range of backgrounds and present a wide range of perspectives. They include clinicians, consumers, lawyers, officials, nurses, social scientists, M?ori and non-M?ori.

New Zealand’s Mental Health Act in Practice was edited by John Dawson, Professor of Law from University of Otago, and Kris Gledhill, barrister and senior lecturer in law at the University of Auckland.

The book is available from Victoria University Press.

The New Zealand Law Foundation provided funding of up to $18,530 in support of the preparation of this book and its dissemination to academics in mental health law.