We provide comprehensive support services to help learners succeed in their journey.
Hauora support resources
Te whare tapa whā
Te Mahi Ako’s learner support system is guided by Sir Mason Durie’s Te Whare Tapa Whā model of health.
The four walls of the whare are the four key areas of our health: taha tinana | physical wellbeing; taha wairua | spiritual wellbeing; taha whānau | family and relationship wellbeing; and taha hinengaro | mental and emotional wellbeing.
While you are on your learning journey with us, we’ll endeavour to help you maintain your wellbeing across all these areas, so you can thrive as a person and succeed in your programme.
At Te Mahi Ako, we uphold an inclusive approach to learner support, where we prioritise the wellbeing of all learners, regardless of their international or domestic status.
Looking after your hinengaro
Te Mahi Ako has partnered with Puāwaitanga to provide independent and confidential counselling services, free for learners aged 18 years and over. Puāwaitanga offers phone or video-based counselling in multiple languages including te reo Māori.
Puāwaitanga is designed to support you over a brief period of time to strengthen your hinengaro | mental and emotional wellbeing. You will have the opportunity to choose the counsellor you’d like to do sessions with and book a time that works around your schedule. Puāwaitanga offers sessions seven days a week from 9am to 9pm.
To access the service, start by sending a confidential request to counselling@temahiako.org.nz.
Please be aware that we can only refer you to Puāwaitanga during our normal business hours, which are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays and our summer shutdown period). If you need support more urgently, other resources are listed on this page.
Here are some other resources to help you manage your mental health with completing your studies.
- The Mental Health Foundation also has a good explanation of what mental wellbeing is.
- You can take a test at Depression.org.nz, if you think you might be experiencing depression or anxiety
- Presbyterian Support offers free counselling for people up to the age of 18
- Everyone has mental health and wellbeing. It’s something for you to treasure and look after. When your wellbeing is strong, your whānau, communities and Aotearoa can flourish too. Here is a guide designed to help you explore your way to wellbeing and create a wellbeing plan to help you prioritise the things that work best for you.
Urgent support
If you are in crisis and need immediate support, please phone 111.
If you or one of your whānau or friends need mental health support or information right now, you can contact one of the free helpline services listed on this page. These services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Need to talk? Free call or text 1737
- Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or free text 4357
- Samaritans - 0800 726 666
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0800 611 116