Introduction: Changing times, changing places

Abstract

This history of Tokanui Hospital and mental health services in the Waikato is a collection of the different stories of the many members of that community. We have chosen to tell these stories through the eyes of several writers, with some of them perhaps even competing perspectives, hoping to capture close to the full range of responses to and experiences of mental health in the Waikato over time. Tokanui Hospital- for a time, the main focus of mental health services in the region - was itself plural and complex. Through our collectively authored history, we show how the closure of Tokanui impacted upon its many residents and staff and the wider community around the hospital, and how the dispersal of mental health functions into the community has continued to evoke resounding memories of Tokanui.