Mental health and wellbeing support

Emergency and urgent help

If you or someone you care for are in immediate physical danger, call 111 for immediate help.

For urgent mental health support, contact the Crisis Assessment Teams (CATs) across the country. Find the nearest team on the Ministry of Health website: Crisis Assessment Teams in NZ.

Phone and internet based help

For everyone:

Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor.

Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP).

Samaritans – 0800 726 666

Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO).

Healthline – 0800 611 116

Anxiety NZ – have a free, self-paced course to get tools to support your mental wellbeing. Find out more here: https://anxiety.org.nz/

For young people:

Youthline 0800 376 633, free text 234, or online chat at www.youthline.co.nz (available 7pm – 10pm). For young people and their parents, whānau and friends. 

What’s Up 0800 942 8787 (0800 WHATSUP) (12pm – 11pm Mon to Fri, and 3pm– 11pm weekends) or online chat at www.whatsup.co.nz (1pm – 10pm Mon to Fri, 3pm – 10pm weekends) for 5–19 year olds. 

The Low Down - thelowdown.co.nz - Visit website or free text 5626. A space created for rangatahi (youth). Find support here for your hauora, identity, culture and mental health.

SPARX - sparx.org.nz - SPARX e-therapy equips young people and rangatahi with life skills to power through stressful and negative emotions.

For deaf and hard of hearing

NZ Relay - www.nzrelay.co.nz - Helps users to connect with services over the phone. 

NZ Police 111TXT – Register with the New Zealand Police for the 111TXT service here.

Accessing Mental Health Services

If you feel mentally unwell, your best starting point is usually your GP (family doctor). GPs are trained to assess, treat and manage many mental health issues. Your GP can refer you to your local community mental health service or elsewhere if needed.

The mental health foundation has information about accessing mental health services here. This includes information about starting at your GP, community mental health services, and accessing low cost mental health care.  

Gumboot Friday offers free counselling for anyone 25 and under who needs the support of a counsellor. they  have counsellors available for face to face or digital therapy. More information is available here: www.gumbootfriday.org.nz/

Supporting a loved one

Yellow brick road -  https://yellowbrickroad.org.nz - is a national organisation that provides mental health support for families who have a loved one experiencing mental health challenges.