A new national report released today by Asian Family Services (AFS) has found that the mental well-being of Asian communities in New Zealand has stabilised following several years of decline, but meaningful recovery has yet to emerge.
The 2026 New Zealand Asian Well-being & Mental Health Report, independently conducted by Trace Research, shows that although several indicators improved slightly compared with 2025, none of the year-on-year changes were statistically significant. More than one in two Asian adults (54.5%) remain at risk of depression, while almost one in four (24.8%) continue to experience discrimination.
The report highlights that mental health challenges continue to affect some communities disproportionately. Indian respondents recorded the highest risk of depression (60.4%) and the highest prevalence of discrimination (28.2%) among the major Asian ethnic groups. Young adults aged 18–29 years, unemployed respondents, women and New Zealand-born Asians also experienced significantly poorer mental health outcomes than many other groups, highlighting persistent inequities across New Zealand's diverse Asian population.
Key findings
- 75.9% of respondents were satisfied with life, remaining broadly stable compared with 2025.
- 78.5% reported that the things they do in life are worthwhile, indicating that a strong sense of purpose has been maintained despite ongoing pressures.
- 54.5% screened as being at risk of depression using the internationally recognised CES-D-10 measure.
- Indian respondents recorded the highest depression risk (60.4%), while young adults aged 18–29 years recorded the highest overall depression rate (65.5%).
- 24.8% experienced discrimination during the previous 12 months, with race or ethnicity (81.7%) remaining the most commonly reported reason.
- Indian respondents also reported the highest prevalence of discrimination (28.2%) among the major Asian ethnic groups.
- Access to language and culturally appropriate support has continued to improve since 2021, although limited awareness of available mental health services remains the largest barrier to seeking help.
Dr Kelly Feng MNZM, Chief Executive of Asian Family Services, said the findings demonstrate that while the decline observed in recent years has slowed, significant mental health challenges remain.
"It is encouraging that the downward trend seen in previous years has stabilised. However, more than half of Asian adults continue to be at risk of depression, and many still face discrimination and barriers to accessing appropriate support. These findings reinforce the need for sustained investment in culturally responsive mental health services, prevention and early intervention."
Dr Andrew Zhu, Director of Trace Research, said the value of the study lies in its ability to monitor long-term trends and identify communities most in need of support.
"This is the second wave of New Zealand's national tracking study on Asian mental health and well-being at this scale. While we observed modest improvements across several indicators, none were statistically significant, suggesting that recovery has plateaued rather than accelerated. The findings also highlight important inequalities across ethnicities, age groups and birthplace that require targeted policy responses."
The report also found that New Zealand-born Asians continued to experience poorer outcomes than overseas-born Asians, reporting lower life satisfaction and worthwhileness, substantially higher depression risk (64.0% compared with 51.6%), and higher levels of discrimination (30.5% compared with 23.0%). These findings suggest that mental health inequities extend beyond migration and language barriers to broader issues of identity, belonging and social inclusion.
Although access to language and cultural support has gradually improved over recent years, respondents continued to identify limited awareness of available services, privacy concerns and uncertainty about service effectiveness as the main barriers to accessing mental health support. Demand remained strongest for culturally appropriate psychological services, culturally responsive clinical care, cultural and social support, and interpreting services.
The report concludes that continued collaboration between government, health providers and community organisations will be essential to improve mental health outcomes and ensure culturally appropriate services remain accessible for New Zealand's rapidly growing and increasingly diverse Asian communities.
To explore the findings, statistics and recommendations in more detail, click the link below to read the full report.