- Hon Matt Doocey
The nationwide Top Up campaign, launched in August to encourage Kiwis to take everyday actions that boost mental wellbeing, has reached 3,283,076 people and achieved a milestone of 115,000 website visitors in its first four months, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says.
"The response to the Top Up campaign has been phenomenal and shows there's a real appetite for simple, evidence-based ways to look after our mental health," Mr Doocey says.
"A perfect example of what success looks like is if you've had a challenging day on the farm or stress from work is building up, we want New Zealanders to automatically think which of the five actions they can do to top up.
"Seeing this level of engagement in the first few months gives me real confidence that more Kiwis are taking positive steps to top up their wellbeing."
Launched in August, Top Up promotes the Five Ways to Wellbeing - Connect, Give, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Be Active which are proven to support better mental health. The campaign has reached millions through TV, radio, and digital channels, driving strong engagement across all communities.
"This campaign is about shifting the conversation from crisis to prevention. Applying the Five Ways to Wellbeing has been shown to aid recovery from tough times and the management of long-term mental health issues." Mr Doocey says.
"By encouraging everyday actions, we're helping New Zealanders take proactive steps to maintain their mental wellbeing and prevent small problems growing into big issues."
Developed by VML in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation, Top Up aligns with the Government's Mental Health Targets focused on prevention and early intervention. It is complemented by a new Top Up Community Grants Scheme, which offers $250,000 annually for two years to support grassroots wellbeing initiatives, particularly in hard-to-reach communities.
"I'm delighted with the success of this campaign, already exceeding expectations, I hope to see it further break down the stigma around mental health over the next two years."
Notes to editor
- The Top Up website which includes the promotion campaign video can be found here.
- The campaign aimed to reach up to 2.6 million New Zealanders each year through a range of multimedia channels such as TV, radio, social media and other online platforms. But it's performing better than hoped.
