Labour health spokesperson Annette King said today that Winston Peter's own mental health was in serious need of expert help after he blamed Labour's 'policies of the 1990s' for failings in the mental health system.

"I don't know where Winston has been for the past nine years - a period in which he actually spent two terms in office, being sacked twice - but to the best of my knowledge Labour has not been in government.

"Mr Peters' statement today claimed that New Zealand First managed to keep Templeton Hospital open for mentally ill patients. Perhaps Mr Peters is not aware that Templeton Hospital is a facility for people with intellectual and physical disabilities, not mental health patients.

"Nor does he appear to have read the Mental Health Commission's Blueprint for Mental Health Services. But given the fact that he thinks Labour has enjoyed the 1990s on the Treasury benches, perhaps this is not surprising

"For the record, Mr Peters was part of a government that passed legislation disbanding the Mental Health Commission in two years - before the Mental Health Commission's Blueprint for Mental Health Services will be implemented," Annette King said.

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