Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds says a dramatic increase in the waiting times for young Southlanders to access mental health services could be putting lives at risk.

"I'm hearing regularly from people about their struggles to access vital mental health services for children and young people  - they're worried for the safety of their families and they're often left with nowhere to turn.

"Southern DHB wait times for young people needing mental health support have increased since Labour's election in 2017, by a massive 61 per cent. In 2016/17 the wait time to access mental health services was 18 days, but by 2019/20 that had ballooned out to 29 days.

"These are frightening statistics. It's very concerning that young people are waiting so long for help, it's putting their lives at risk.

"Our suicide rates are already too high. Stresses on this age group are increasing, from fears about Covid-19, to worries about the latest changes to NCEA, getting a job, student loan debt and social media pressure.

"Some young people do feel those pressures more than other and it impacts on their mental health, they should be able to receive the help they need much quicker.

"If we can't provide the right support for our children and adolescents, then we're failing them.

"We're constantly told by the Government it has invested hugely into mental health. But what we can see from the community and services is that money is not flowing in and not making the difference it should.

"The Government must urgently address these shocking mental health service delays - to do nothing is to play Russian roulette with our children's lives."