Our kaupapa
Everyone deserves positive mental health - to feel good and function well, to manage life’s ups and downs, to have a sense of purpose and to feel connected to others.
Find out more about our programmes, campaigns, advocacy, resources and partners below.
Our approach:
- We develop programmes, campaigns and resources that help whole communities, whānau, schools and workplaces – not just individuals.
- Our mahi is informed by clinical and academic evidence and draws on te ao Māori perspectives and the wisdom of people with mental health challenges to ensure it makes a meaningful difference.
- We are dedicated to upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
- We partner and collaborate in a wide range of innovative mental health and wellbeing programmes in schools, workplaces and other settings.
Our values
- Ōritetanga - fairness & equity
- Tika, Pono, Aroha - respect, truthfulness, compassion
- Whanaungatanga – trusted relationships, whānau-centered
- Te Pae Tawhiti – innovation
- Toitū – sustainability
Our history
“It is difficult to appreciate now just how very difficult it was to sell mental health in those days.” Professor Basil James, Chair of the Mental Health Foundation’s board - 1976-1980,
The Mental Health Foundation was incorporated as a charitable trust in 1974, but our work wasn’t brought to life until the proceeds of a telethon funded it in 1977.
Over the past 50 years we have helped transform how New Zealanders view, talk and respond to mental health and wellbeing, ensuring more people feel seen, supported and accepted.
Read more about our history here: Change in Mind/Kia Puāwai ā Mua | Mental Health Foundation
Help build a future where mental health is treasured, protected and prioritised.
Authorised by Shaun Robinson, Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, Eden 3, Ground Floor, 16 Normanby Road, Mt Eden, Auckland 0124