Frequently Asked Questions

Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 12 to 18 October 2026.

Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual campaign that aims to raise mental health awareness and engage people in conversations and activities that improve their wellbeing. The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand has run the campaign here in Aotearoa since 1993.

You can sign up for email updates to help you take part in Mental Health Awareness Week.

This year, the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is Belonging Matters. Research shows that having a strong sense of belonging can support our mental health and help us feel connected, supported, and able to cope with life's ups and downs. Learn more on our theme explanation page.

This year, we will not be structuring the week around daily themes. Instead, we will be providing ideas and activities you can choose to explore throughout the week at any time. Sign up to our main list to be the first to hear about our plans for Mental Health Awareness Week.

We have 2026 event packs with loads of practical resources that you can use to get involved this Mental Health Awareness Week. Order one here.

If we've run out of our 2026 event packs, we've got loads of practical resources that you can download and print to get involved.

We’re sorry to hear your Mental Health Awareness Week event pack hasn’t arrived yet. Please email us at resource@mentalhealth.org.nz, and let us know what email address you used when ordering. We’ll get in touch with our distribution team asap.

We don’t run Mental Health Awareness Week primarily as a fundraiser, but we know many people choose to raise funds for the Mental Health Foundation as part of the week. If you’d like to fundraise, we welcome your support!

Funds raised during Mental Health Awareness Week support the Mental Health Foundation in uplifting the mental health and wellbeing of everyone in Aotearoa. Learn more about where funds raised for the MHF go.

If you submit your event on our website, we can promote it as part of our What’s On calendar.

Mental Health Awareness Week is about learning ways to enhance our wellbeing, so that we’re better equipped to cope when times are tough for us. Looking after our own as well as others wellbeing day to day can make us more adaptable and resilient in the long term. For those who manage long-term mental illness or distress, levels of wellbeing can determine quality of life and our ability to recover. We all have wellbeing and it's important to nurture it.

If you need to talk, free call or text 1737 at any time to speak with a trained counsellor. You can find more helplines on the Mental Health Foundation website's Helplines page.