The month-long challenge encourages participants to go alcohol-free for July, creating space to reflect on their relationship with alcohol while backing their bros and prioritising their hauora.
More than 600 people registered for the inaugural Wai July campaign in 2025, with thousands more engaging with the kaupapa online. The strong response highlighted a growing appetite for alcohol-free spaces and conversations within Māori communities.
Hāpai Te Hauora Chief Operating Officer Jason Alexander says the campaign is about creating opportunities for people to pause and reflect.
"Wai July isn't about judgement or telling people what they should do. It's about creating space to pause, reflect, and see what changes when alcohol is taken out of the picture for a month."
"Whether someone decides to stay alcohol-free after July or not isn't really the point. The value comes from taking a step back and being intentional about the role alcohol plays in their life.”
Alcohol continues to be a significant contributor to preventable harm in Aotearoa, impacting physical health, mental wellbeing, whānau relationships, finances, and communities.
Māori continue to experience disproportionate levels of alcohol-related harm, with alcohol contributing to poorer health outcomes, increased rates of injury, and wider social and economic impacts across whānau and communities.
Wai July provides an opportunity to challenge the normalisation of alcohol, shift the environments that sustain harm, and centre the wellbeing of whānau.
One of the campaign influencers returning this year is Montel Tivoli, who is now more than three years into his alcohol-free journey.
Tivoli says taking a break from alcohol can create space for growth and self-reflection.
"The biggest positive change I've experienced since becoming sober has been developing true self-confidence and finally facing my inner trauma."
"I used alcohol to suppress those things and often turned to it as a way to hide. Becoming sober was never really about alcohol itself. It was about no longer relying on a substance to numb the inner work that needed to be done."
"You will never regret a better version of yourself."
Hāpai Te Hauora has again partnered with an experienced alcohol and other drugs counsellor to provide confidential support throughout the month.
The support has been part of Wai July since the campaign began, recognising that taking a break from alcohol can raise questions about habits, wellbeing, relationships, and the role alcohol plays in people's lives.
Alexander says having support available is an important part of the campaign.
"If we're encouraging people to reflect on their relationship with alcohol, we also have a responsibility to make sure support is available for those who want it."
"For some people, taking a break from alcohol can be straightforward. For others, it can bring up challenges, questions, or simply highlight habits they haven't had the chance to reflect on before."
Throughout July, participants will hear from tāne Māori sharing their own experiences, challenges, and motivations for choosing wai over waipiro. The campaign will also provide practical tips, encouragement, and reminders that participants are not doing it alone.
Alexander says the challenge is simple.
"Take a break from waipiro for July and see how you feel."
"You might sleep better. You might save some money. You might not notice much at all. The point is giving yourself the opportunity to find out."
Registrations for Wai July are now open at waijuly.nz
