Calls we need to chuck some serious resource into the mix, if we want to get on top of mental health

Polling by IPSOS for the Mental Health Foundation found 36 percent of people surveyed were experiencing poor emotional wellbeing.

That's up from 27 percent last year.

NZME's launched Great Minds, a project to examine the state of our mental health - and potential solutions.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton says they're particularly concerned about child and adolescent mental health staffing.

She says there are real severe shortages, with some parts of the country having no psychiatrists available.