- Hon Matt Doocey
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is pleased to celebrate Gumboot Friday today, a fantastic initiative helping thousands of young people access free mental health support faster.
"In July I announced that in the first twelve months of Government funding, Gumboot Friday delivered more than 30,000 free counselling sessions, supporting over 10,000 young New Zealanders who might not otherwise had timely access to support," Mr Doocey says.
"I'm pleased to update that since then, Gumboot Friday has delivered over 10,700 free counselling sessions and supported a further 4,350 young people.
"This means that since Government funding began, over 40,700 sessions have been delivered, supporting more than 14,350 young New Zealanders.
"In July, I also announced that more than 700 qualified counsellors were registered on the Gumboot Friday platform, an increase of 175. They've since scaled up even further, with another 80 counsellors joining, bringing the total to 810.
"This gives young people more choice in who they see and ensures that when someone reaches out, they're seen when and where they need it.
"This is exactly why Gumboot Friday received Government funding, they've shown their capability to keep scaling up nationwide so even more young people can get the support they need.
"There aren't many organisations that can move our young people off waitlists and into counselling often within just a few days.
"Mental health concerns are one of the biggest issues facing young New Zealanders today. I want to thank the team at I Am Hope, who work tirelessly to give our young people the support they need.
"This powerful partnership between Government and a grassroots organisation is making a real difference, supporting the Government's mental health plan for faster access to support, more frontline workers, and a better crisis response."
Last year, the Government committed $24 million over four years to Gumboot Friday under the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement to scale up support for young people across the country.
