Te Pou

What Te Pou does

Te Pou is a non-profit national workforce centre for addiction and mental health in Aotearoa New Zealand, operating as a subsidiary within the Wise Group conglomerate. The organization connects the mental health and addiction workforce with evidence-based resources, training programmes, competency frameworks, and assessment tools. Its primary beneficiaries are District Health Boards, non-governmental organizations, primary care providers, support workers, and the consumer, peer support and lived experience (CPSLE) workforce. Leadership sits with Chief Executive Officer Rae Lamb, supported by a team of 11-50 employees based in Auckland.

The product portfolio is structured around evidence-based frameworks — most notably Keeping it Real | Kia Pono te Tika (a values, attitudes, knowledge and skills framework for working with tāngata whai ora), the Tupuranga reflective practice framework, MHFA Aotearoa training programmes, the Kia Mataara peer training programme, and tiered CPSLE competencies (essential, enhanced, leader). Underlying technology is operational rather than proprietary: data is hosted on Microsoft Azure with Office 365 productivity tools, while e-learning delivery runs on Moodle, Learn.org and the Pūkoro platform, with MailChimp and SendGrid handling email communications and SurveyMonkey supporting workforce research.

Te Pou's revenue mechanics combine three streams: government or quasi-government funding routed through the Wise Group (the largest implicit revenue base), paid training programmes (Kia Mataara peer training at $1,060, MHFA Refresher workshops at $400), and resource sales through an e-commerce store with a mix of free evidence-based downloads and priced printed materials. Go-to-market is content-led and segmented by workforce persona via five distinct newsletter lists, supported by events, stories and free e-learning modules. The organization holds no patents and discloses no external investment; expansion is constrained to a single domestic market (New Zealand), with formal status underpinned by the Pae Ora (Health Futures) Act 2022 and Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations.

Name

Te Pou

Legal name

Te Pou Ltd

Website

https://tepou.co.nz

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Te Pou is a non-profit national workforce centre for addiction and mental health in Aotearoa New Zealand, operating as part of the Wise Group. It develops evidence-based frameworks, training programmes, and competency tools for DHBs, NGOs, support workers, and the lived experience workforce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Training programs: Revenue generated from training programs including Mental Health First Aid workshops (Standard, Workplace, and Refresher courses) and the Kia Mataara peer training programme. Pricing ranges from $400 for refresher MHFA workshops to $1,060 for peer training programmes.
2. Resource sales: Sale of printed resources including guides, frameworks, competency documents, posters, and cards. Products are available through the online store with prices ranging from free to several hundred dollars per item.
3. Free resources and government funding: Many resources are provided free of charge as part of government-funded workforce development activities. The organization is part of the Wise Group and operates as a national workforce centre, suggesting government or quasi-government funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Te Pou is the national workforce centre for addiction and mental health in Aotearoa New Zealand, providing evidence-based resources, training programmes, frameworks, and workforce development tools for the sector. Its portfolio includes the Keeping it Real | Kia Pono te Tika framework, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Aotearoa training, the Kia Mataara peer training programme, competency documents, and clinical guidelines, distributed via its online store, free digital downloads, and e-learning platforms.

Product overview

Te Pou is a national workforce centre for addiction and mental health in Aotearoa New Zealand. Rather than a single unified product, Te Pou offers a comprehensive portfolio of evidence-based resources, training programmes, frameworks, and tools for workforce development. The core offerings include the Keeping it Real | Kia Pono te Tika framework (a values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills framework for working with tāngata whai ora), Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Aotearoa training programmes, the Tupuranga reflective practice framework for CPSLE workers, competency documents, and various printable guides and resources. These products are distributed through Te Pou's store and delivered via e-learning platforms including Learn.org, Moodle, and Pūkoro. The portfolio serves the addiction and mental health workforce through training, resources, competency frameworks, and assessment tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Keeping it Real | Kia Pono te Tika: A framework that describes the values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills required for working effectively alongside tangata whai ora and whanau experiencing addiction and/or mental health challenges.
• Mental Health First Aid Aotearoa
• The Difference Podcast
• Mataua-wheako CPSLE

Products and services

• Keeping it Real | Kia Pono te Tika Framework

Quantifiable outcome

• CPSLE workforce grew approximately 30% between 2014 and 2018 in NGO adult services
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wise GroupcoreOthersTe Pou is part of the Wise Group, a national organization. The Wise Group provides organizational infrastructure and support, with Te Pou operating as a distinct national workforce centre for addiction and mental health within this group.
• WhāraurauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhāraurau (The University of Auckland) conducted the 2020 Stocktake of Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drug Services, providing workforce data that informs Te Pou's work.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• SANE Australia: An Australian mental health organisation providing peer support, education, and resources. Partially overlaps with Te Pou on lived-experience workforce enablement and consumer education, though SANE's remit extends more into direct service and helpline delivery.
• Phoenix Australia: Australian centre of excellence in posttraumatic mental health that produces clinical guidelines, workforce resources, and training comparable in nature to Te Pou's trauma-informed and competency frameworks. Comparable through shared focus on evidence-based practitioner resources, although narrower in clinical scope.

Direct peers

• Mental Health First Aid Australia: The Australian counterpart to MHFA Aotearoa, delivering Mental Health First Aid training across Australia. Highly comparable as a national MHFA training programme operator with similar course structure, audience, and cultural-adaptation approach.
• Werry Workforce Whāraurau: A New Zealand-based workforce development centre focused on infant, child, and adolescent mental health and addiction workforce. Directly comparable to Te Pou in mission (sector workforce development), funding model (government/quasi-government), and customer base (DHBs, NGOs, primary care).
• Le Va: New Zealand's workforce development centre for Pasifika mental health, addiction, and disability sectors. Operates a near-identical model to Te Pou — national workforce centre remit, cultural-community framing, training programmes, and government-aligned funding — making it the most directly comparable peer.

Broad incumbents

• Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand: A long-established NZ charity working at the intersection of mental health promotion, advocacy, and workforce/public education. Overlaps with Te Pou on community-facing mental health information and workforce-facing resources but covers a broader advocacy remit rather than specialist workforce development.
• Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand: New Zealand's national public health authority and the principal commissioner of mental health and addiction services. It is the primary government counterpart that contracts, funds, and sets expectations for Te Pou, and overlaps on workforce strategy and standards-setting.
• Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission (NZ): An independent Crown entity established under Pae Ora to monitor and review NZ's mental health and wellbeing system. Comparable to Te Pou as a sector-wide institutional actor influencing mental health workforce priorities, though operating in oversight rather than direct training delivery.

Others

• Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand: A NZ Crown entity focused on health sector quality improvement, including mental health and addiction service standards. Tangentially comparable as a sector-standards and workforce-quality counterpart to Te Pou, though operating in regulatory/quality assurance rather than direct training delivery.

Regional players

• National Mental Health Commission (Australia): The Australian equivalent of New Zealand's Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, providing national-level oversight, policy advice, and workforce strategy for mental health. Comparable to Te Pou's national-centre positioning but operating across a different (Australian) jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tepounz

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Te Pou