Mental Health and Well-Being

Te Kura Ihomatua emphasises the importance of mental health and our connection to our tīpuna. Māori face higher levels of stigma and discrimination related to mental health in Aotearoa, significantly impacting well-being. Nōku te Ao: Like Minds is a kaupapa dedicated to eliminating stigma and promoting social inclusion. Hāpai leads the social movement supporting tangata whaiora with lived experience.

Nōku te Ao is the only service focused solely on stigma and discrimination, highlighting the need to address societal factors and improve mental health services for whānau.

What Hāpai is doing in this space

Hāpai collaborate with the Mental Health Foundation to deliver the social movement aspect of Nōku te Ao. Social movement is about shifting the mindset and attitudes of society and in turn facilitating advocacy against stigma and discrimination.

We create social movement in several ways, seeking to prioritise marginalised groups including Māori, Pacific, Asian and those living with a disability.

Ways we achieve this include:

• Normalising and promoting culturally appropriate clinical practice
• Provision of resources to support the delivery of community projects
• Contribution to policy and advocacy through submissions and supporting communities to take part in submissions
• We develop and maintain relationships with lived experience leaders to ensure our work is reflective of their aspirations and needs
• Normalise holistic treatment as standard practice from our service providers
• Position those with lived experience in decision-making spaces to facilitate true co-design
• Include Mental health awareness in school curricula
• Policy and legislation that is reflective of the needs of those with lived experience of stigma and discrimination
• Platform strengths-based approaches, removing negative connotations and narratives