Hon Matt Doocey

Matt Doocey was elected as the Member of Parliament for Waimakariri in the 2014 General Election and re-elected as Member of Parliament for Waimakariri in 2020 and in 2023.

Matt had a long career in mental health and healthcare management, including in the delivery of community health, mental health and social care services both in voluntary and Government settings. 

Matt is currently the Minister for Mental Health and Associate Minister of Health. Matt is honoured to be serving in Cabinet in a Christopher Luxon-led government.

As National’s first ever Spokesperson for Mental Health, in 2018 Matt wrote to every political party in Parliament to invite them to join a cross-party approach to mental health that would focus on developing solutions and policy over a longer period than the Parliamentary three-year term. Matt believed that by initiating a bipartisan approach to mental health, this would break down some of the barriers to progress to improve mental-health outcomes in New Zealand. On 28 August 2019, Sir John Kirwan launched the Mental Health and Addictions Wellbeing cross-party group, with the executive consisting of Matt Doocey, Louisa Wall (Labour), Chloe Swarbrick (Green Party), Jenny Marcroft (NZ First) and David Seymour (ACT), to work together to improve mental health and wellbeing in New Zealand.

As Associate Minister of Health with responsibility for Rural Health, Matt is focused on ensuring people living outside the main centres have equitable access to quality healthcare. He leads work to implement the Rural Health Strategy, strengthen the rural workforce, and ensure rural communities have a stronger voice in shaping services that meet their unique needs. Through initiatives like the Rural Health Roadshow, Matt is engaging directly with local providers and communities to identify gaps and deliver practical, community-driven solutions that make healthcare more accessible across rural New Zealand.