Southern Lakes communities gear up to help tackle youth mental health
Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group is offering five free or low-cost Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Aotearoa courses between January and March 2025, aimed at empowering adults across the Southern Lakes region to support youth mental health.
According to the 2022/23 New Zealand Health Survey, more than half of young New Zealanders aged 15 to 24 experience anxiety or depression, and those with moderate to high distress levels have nearly doubled since 2016/17.
Te Hau Toka’s subsidised two-day courses, run in partnership with local community organisations and licensed workforce provider Te Pou, aim to equip participants with the knowledge, skills and confidence to assist young people (ages 11 to 18) experiencing mental health challenges or crises. This includes recognising signs of depression, anxiety, substance use, eating disorders, non-suicidal self-harm, suicidal thoughts and behaviours, and psychosis. Participants will also be trained in a five-step mental health action plan to support youth in crisis until professional help is available.
“During our one-year pilot, we focused on training local professionals who work with youth, including social workers, school staff, community agencies, and youth trusts. With 155 individuals certified, we’ve made a strong start and are now the largest group of Youth Mental Health First Aiders in New Zealand,” says Te Hau Toka Chair Adell Cox.
“These free or low-cost community-based courses will make this internationally recognised, evidence-based training more accessible to parents and others who want to help, equipping them with the tools and confidence to support young people when they need it most. Spaces are limited, so early registration is encouraged.”
The courses will be led by up to 10 accredited local trainers who are deeply embedded in their communities and familiar with local challenges. Their expertise and ability to deliver courses regularly are crucial to the growth and long-term sustainability of the Youth Mental Health First Aid Aotearoa programme.
While this is Te Hau Toka’s final initiative before its funding concludes in the second quarter of 2025, the group’s members - comprising health, local government, the seven rūnaka, and not-for-profit organisations - remain committed to advocating for initiatives like Youth MHFA Aotearoa that foster lasting, positive change.
Te Hau Toka’s youth specialist, Karyn Munro, who played a key role in introducing the programme to New Zealand, will continue as lead regional trainer and as a national Youth MHFA Aotearoa trainer for Te Pou.
“By training more adults across the region and the country, we are strengthening the safety net for our rangatahi and building communities that are more informed, compassionate and prepared to respond to mental health crises,” says Ms Munro.
Course dates:
Queenstown: 2 x 2-day courses (max. 20 people per course, in partnership with Central Lakes Family Services), bookings via Humantix.
- 30 & 31 January 2025, 8:30am–4pm, Salvation Army Room
- 3 & 4 March 2025, 8:30am–4pm, St John Room
Wānaka: 1 x 2-day course, 18 & 25 February 2025, 8:30am–4:30pm, Lake Wanaka Centre ($50, in partnership with Path Wānaka and QLDC Community Funding, contact Path Wānaka for booking details)
Fiordland: 1 x 2-day course (date TBC in the new year)
Cromwell: 1 x 2-day course (date TBC in the new year)
Karyn Munro teaching Youth Mental Health First Aid programme
About Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group
Formed in 2020 by key health, social sector and local government agencies to help address the mental health impacts of COVID-19, Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group is an inter-agency collaboration for health and wellbeing in the Southern Lakes region. It focuses on promotion, prevention and early intervention with an equity lens. In 2021 the group received $3 million funding from MBIE for community mental wellbeing initiatives in the rural tourism-dependent communities of Queenstown, Wānaka, Fiordland and Cromwell.
Group members include Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora Southern, WellSouth Primary Health Network, the Southern Mental Health and Addiction Network Leadership Group, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Central Lakes Family Services, and the Fiordland Wellbeing Collective. The governance group, made up of the three mayors of the region, the iwi representative for the seven rūnaka, and the Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Southern director, has also provided strong support and advocacy. Read more.
Te Hau Toka partnership with Te Pou
The Youth Mental Health programme was brought to New Zealand in September 2022 through a partnership between Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group and Te Pou. Te Hau Toka provided the necessary funding to adapt the programme for New Zealand's specific context, while Te Pou contributed the expertise needed for its adaption and implementation. Te Pou is now rolling out the Youth MHFA Aotearoa programme nationwide.
Te Pou is a national workforce development provider for the mental health, addiction and disability sectors, and holds the New Zealand licence for Mental Health First Aid Aotearoa. Read more.