1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: Not the way to sell gumboot Friday. By the way, 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: is that Mike King has dug himself a hole. 3 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 2: Alcohol is not a problem for people with mental health issues. 4 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 2: It's actually the solution to our problem. It stopped those thoughts. 5 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: God Super Political Labour wants the government funding, of course 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: stop the Order to General has already criticized the way 7 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: the money was handed out in the first place. Mental 8 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:20,920 Speaker 1: Health Minister Matt Doocey's with us on this Matt morning 9 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:22,760 Speaker 1: to you morning. 10 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 2: Mike. Hey, I'm glad I rung the right station this morning. 11 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: Very good to hear. Is Mike King wrong? 12 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:32,879 Speaker 2: Look, I've made it very clear Easterday. I don't agree 13 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 2: with Mike's comments this time, but I have huge respect 14 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 2: for him, Mike and his advocacy. He's talked about his 15 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 2: personal experiences. He's really led some of the campaign in 16 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:47,919 Speaker 2: New Zealand about breaking down the barriers of stigma and 17 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 2: discrimination and mental health. But this time I do disagree 18 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 2: with his comments. 19 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: Was this always going to bite you in some way, 20 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: shape or form given the way the money was handed out? 21 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: And he's controversial to start with, which when. 22 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 2: You look at the Order to General report, which I 23 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 2: think you're referring to. The order to General was actually 24 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 2: very complementary of the performance management measures and the evaluation 25 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 2: framework we've got built into the contract. Because at the 26 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 2: end of the day, this is about the thousands of 27 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 2: young people around New Zealand that through the hundreds of 28 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 2: councils of Gunboot Friday gets seen in sometimes less than 29 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,880 Speaker 2: forty eight hours, and that's important to remember. This is 30 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,400 Speaker 2: about the outcome, and the twenty four million dollars that 31 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 2: the government invested will give an extra fifteen thousand young 32 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 2: people timely access to mental health support. 33 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: Just going back to the process. Throughout the process I'm 34 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: quoting here, the Minister has sought and received assurance from 35 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: officials that the implementation option chosen by the Ministry of 36 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: Health is compliant with government procurement rules. Did you throw 37 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: them under the bus when this got a bit angsty, 38 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: Not at all. 39 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 2: I sought assurance that the contract with Gumboot Friday was 40 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 2: client with government procurement rules. I was given that assurance 41 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 2: and I was also told that the contract was not unusual. 42 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 2: So at the end of the day, the government made 43 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 2: an agreement through the coalition, we would fund Gumboot Friday 44 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 2: we ensured that was delivered compliant with government procurement rules. 45 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 2: And what we're delivering is a platform that's got hundreds 46 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 2: of councilors across New Zealand, that ensures that thousands of 47 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 2: New Zealand Kiwi young people at the time we support 48 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 2: they need. 49 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: When you use the word though chosen by the Ministry 50 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: of Health, the Ministry of Health chose nothing. You guys 51 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: chose it buy a New Zealand first, didn't you. 52 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 2: Well, it was in the coalition agreement and we sought 53 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 2: assurance that the contract would be in line with government 54 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 2: procurement rules, which it was, and as I say, the 55 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 2: Order to General quite rightly pointed out that the performance 56 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 2: measures was something that he was impressed about. And actually 57 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 2: it's about the evaluation outcome of any contract to end 58 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 2: sure it delivers what it needs to deliver. And I'm 59 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 2: confident we're going to see thousands of young Kiwis get 60 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 2: the support they need. 61 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 1: That's encouraging and I'm kind of look, I'm a believer 62 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: in the government of the day gets to do what 63 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: the Government of the day wants to do because they've 64 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: been voted in to do it. But the way you 65 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:20,079 Speaker 1: did it puts you on the hook. And already because 66 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: King who is what he is, you're suddenly on a 67 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: major radio program having to defend him. Do you worry 68 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: that this is an ongoing pattern? 69 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 2: Now? I disagreement because actually Mike is allowed as an 70 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 2: advocate to have his comments. As I said, I disagree 71 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 2: with his comments this time, but actually more broadly I 72 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 2: support the work he does. But actually we've got to differentiate. 73 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 2: We're actually talking about Government Friday, which is an online 74 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 2: platform where they've got hundreds of counselors who are ready 75 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 2: to go. We know we've got an increasing number of 76 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 2: young people with mental distress in New Zealand, and those 77 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 2: counselors can be deployed to support those young people and 78 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 2: actually complement the publicly funded mental health system which is 79 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 2: under a lot of constraint at the time as well. 80 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 2: So at the end of the day, this is about 81 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 2: the young people getting the support they need. 82 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: Good stuff, all right, you have a good week. I 83 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: appreciate it, Matt. Do you se who's the mental health 84 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: Minister's reference at the beginning, of course to ring in 85 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: the right radio station. As the day he rang Morning 86 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: Report and was told there was no interview with Mike asking, 87 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 1: a scandal that will probably go into the annals of 88 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 1: broadcasting history, certainly as far as I'm concerned. 89 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 90 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,799 Speaker 2: news talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 91 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:37,360 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.