Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW), run by the Mental Health Foundation, is 23–29 September.

The theme is Explore your way to wellbeing – Whāia te ara hauora, Whitiora, so we’re encouraging you to take notice of the simple experiences, actions, relationships and surroundings that make you feel good every day – and do them more often.

As a workplace, we’ll also be taking part in the MHAW Workplace Challenge. To get involved, all we need to do is use the MHAW workplace guide to guide our MHAW activities. At the end of MHAW, we’ll complete the workplace wellbeing plan and email it to the Mental Health Foundation, along with a photo that captures what wellbeing means to us as a workplace. We’ll go in the draw to a morning tea worth up to $250!

MHAW is also underpinned by Te Whare Tapa Whā, a Māori perspective on wellbeing developed by leading health advocate and researcher Sir Mason Durie. Throughout our MHAW celebrations, we’ll be exploring this health model together and using it to come up with practical ideas on how we can all strengthen our wellbeing.

We’re looking forward to celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week with you all! Feel free to download the MHAW email signatures and screensavers, as well as the posters to display around your desk.