The focus of this submission

Asian Family Services has prepared this submission to contribute to the Women's Health Strategy, sharing our views on improving Aotearoa's approach to women's health, focusing on supporting Asian and ethnic minority women populations. Our feedback is based on our over 20 years of experience providing these communities with mental health and wellbeing services.

As mental health and addiction service providers for Asian communities, we are responsible for genuinely representing the Asian and ethnic minority women population, which is often not well understood by the wider public. Many women in these communities have suffered in silence, unable to share their pain and frustration, as health services did not meet or understand their cultural needs. Due to language barriers, many Asian women could not effectively communicate their thoughts or demand services, making them feel invisible. Additionally, many Asian women come from patriarchal societies and are less likely to express their opinions or views publicly.