A Capital and Coast District Health board member says the Wellington region's mental health crisis teams are powerless because they are under resourced.
A coroner has criticised the Hutt Valley mental health crisis team, for not responding when help was sought for a man who later died.
The Hutt Valley DHB says major changes have since been made, and a joint review with the Capital and Coast board is underway.
A member of the Capital and Coast DHB, Helen Ritchie, says it's important that crisis teams travel out into the community to help and treat mentally unstable people.
She says crisis teams rarely work in the community, but that's where they're needed most.
