Mental Health Foundation

What Mental Health Foundation does

The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand (MHF) is a charitable trust founded in 1977 and headquartered in Auckland that works to improve mental health and wellbeing across Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a non-profit advocacy and education organization, not a technology company: its core offering consists of free mental health resources, publications, peer support and lived-experience content, school and workplace wellbeing programmes, suicide prevention funding programmes, policy advocacy, and research on mental health trends. Key programme brands include Pink Shirt Day (anti-bullying), The Push-Up Challenge (mass-participation fundraising), Like Minds Like Mine (anti-stigma), Getting Through Together (wellbeing), and All Sorts (disaster recovery). MHF's technology stack is essentially its website (mentalhealth.org.nz) and social media channels; no proprietary software, AI/ML, or platform products are disclosed.

MHF operates on a donation- and grant-funded non-profit business model. All resources are provided free to the public across New Zealand. Revenue is generated through individual donations, fundraising events (Push-Up Challenge, Run Round the Bays), corporate sponsorships (Cotton On, Downer, Sime, AIA), and government grants (e.g., $1.5M administered through the All-of-Population Suicide Prevention Community Fund, research funding from Te Whatu Ora). Customer and beneficiary segments span the general public of Aotearoa, young people aged 14-24 (rangatahi), whānau and support people, Māori communities, mental health professionals (kaupapa Māori counsellors through clinical psychologists), schools and kura, workplaces, and government agencies. Distribution is direct and self-serve via website downloads, school/workplace programme registration, professional resource access, and community-led project funding. The organization is led by CEO Shaun Robinson with a small team (11-50 employees).

Name

Mental Health Foundation

Legal name

Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand

Website

https://mentalhealth.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand is a 1977-founded Auckland-based non-profit charity that provides free mental health resources, advocacy, and community programmes — including Pink Shirt Day and The Push-Up Challenge — to New Zealanders across schools, workplaces, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Mental health advocacy
• Suicide prevention programmes
• Community wellbeing resources
• Anti-bullying campaigns
• Mental health education

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The Mental Health Foundation relies primarily on donations from the public to fund their mental health resources and programs. The organization runs fundraising campaigns and events including The Push-Up Challenge and accepts individual donations. Their key message emphasizes that donor support enables free mental health resources across Aotearoa.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand is a charitable nonprofit that provides free mental health and wellbeing resources, peer support stories, school and workplace wellbeing programmes, professional publications, and community-led suicide prevention initiatives. It also runs national awareness campaigns such as Pink Shirt Day and The Push-Up Challenge, and conducts policy advocacy to reform New Zealand's mental health system, including the Mental Health Act.

Product overview

The Mental Health Foundation is a New Zealand charity providing a comprehensive suite of mental health support services, resources, and advocacy programmes. The organization offers mental health and wellbeing resources for the general public, peer support through lived experience stories, dedicated resources for mental health professionals, and wellbeing programmes for schools and workplaces. Key initiatives include the annual Pink Shirt Day anti-bullying campaign, suicide prevention community funding programmes, and the All Sorts disaster recovery programme. The Foundation also produces publications and free downloadable resources covering wellbeing, suicide prevention, and workplace support, while conducting research and advocacy to drive systemic change in New Zealand's mental health system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pink Shirt Day: Anti-bullying campaign focused on reducing bullying by celebrating diversity in all its forms
• The Push-Up Challenge
• Like Minds, Like Mine
• Getting Through Together
• All Sorts

Products and services

• Mental Health Support & Resources

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25,000 New Zealanders participated in The Push-Up Challenge 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Auckland University of Technology (AUT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signed letter opposing Armed Response Teams trial. AUT academics provided research expertise and signed the joint letter from multiple organizations urging Police Minister to stop armed police trials.
• Balance AotearoacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signed letter opposing Armed Response Teams trial as part of collective opposition from health and advocacy organizations.
• Hāpai Te Hauora (Māori Public Health)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signed letter opposing Armed Response Teams trial. Māori public health organization providing advocacy voice.
• Te Ao Māramatanga (New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signed letter opposing Armed Response Teams trial. Professional body for mental health nurses providing clinical expertise.
• InsideOUTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signed letter opposing Armed Response Teams trial. National transgender health organization providing advocacy for rainbow communities.
• Gender Minorities AotearoaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signed letter opposing Armed Response Teams trial as part of collective advocacy.
• Te Pū Wānanga o AnamataminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signed letter opposing Armed Response Teams trial.
• Te Rau OraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signed letter opposing Armed Response Teams trial.
• University of Otago WellingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signed letter opposing Armed Response Teams trial. Academic researchers from Department of Public Health and Psychological Medicine provided research expertise.
• 175 Organizations and 4,105 IndividualscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen letter to Minister of Education co-signed by 175 schools, organizations, community groups, and 4,105 individuals asking to retain RSE guidelines in schools and kura.
• 26 Mental Health and Rainbow OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of mental health and rainbow organizations co-signing open letter opposing Government plans to remove RSE guidelines.
• SIL ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNapier-based research organization commissioned by MHF to conduct post-cyclone wellbeing research focusing on mental wellbeing and distress in Hawke's Bay and Gisborne communities.
• All Sorts CampaigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisaster recovery programme through which the Mental Health Foundation commissioned post-cyclone wellbeing research following Cyclone Gabrielle and 2023 weather events.
• University of OtagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on mental health compulsory treatment literature review. Researchers Schneller, Gordon, Thom, Jenkin, Black, Butler, Every-Palmer, and Newton-Howes produced report 'Privileging the focus and voices of tāngata whaiora' funded by Te Whatu Ora.
• Tūramarama ki te OracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMāori suicide prevention strategy that the MHF advocated should be recognized as a separate strategy. Every Life Matters suicide prevention strategy supports the vision outlined in Tūramarama ki te Ora.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mind (UK): UK's leading mental health charity providing information, advice, campaigns, and community services. Directly comparable to MHF in mission, advocacy-driven model, and broad public-facing resource portfolio, though operating at a much larger scale.
• Youthline New Zealand: NZ youth helpline and youth development charity. Comparable as a nonprofit serving rangatahi/young people with mental health support, sharing MHF's youth-segment focus and competing for school and government partnerships.
• Supporting Families in Mental Illness NZ: NZ nonprofit supporting families/whānau affected by mental illness. Directly comparable in mission around family/whānau support — the same primary persona MHF identifies as "People Supporting Others."
• Lifeline New Zealand: NZ's primary crisis support and suicide prevention helpline operator. Direct peer as a fellow NZ mental health nonprofit competing for the same donor, volunteer, and government funding pools, with overlapping suicide prevention mandates.
• Mental Health Foundation Australia: Australian national mental health charity focused on prevention, education, and research. Same brand positioning, similar nonprofit advocacy model, and overlapping programme areas including workplace mental health and suicide prevention.
• Beyond Blue (Australia): Australian mental health charity providing information, support, and advocacy. Comparable as a donation-funded, advocacy-led nonprofit focused on anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention, with a strong public campaign brand.
• Like Minds Like Mine: A long-running anti-stigma programme that historically operated under MHF; comparable mission around reducing discrimination faced by people with mental illness, and a key brand asset currently sitting within MHF's portfolio.

Emerging players

• Black Dog Institute: Australian research and clinical institute focused on mood disorders and suicide prevention. Comparable in mission and emphasis on research-driven advocacy, though structured as a research institute rather than a community-facing foundation.
• 1737 - Need to Talk?: Government-funded 24/7 mental health helpline and text service in NZ. Partially overlaps with MHF's crisis support referral function and represents a direct public alternative channel for mental health first contact.

Broad incumbents

• Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand: NZ's national public health agency that funds mental health services and commissioned MHF-aligned research. Operates as a much larger incumbent funder/regulator in the same mental health ecosystem and is the principal counterpart for MHF's policy advocacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mentalhealthnz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/mhfnz
• Facebookfacebook.com/mentalhealthfoundationNZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mental-health-foundation-of-new-zealand/posts/?feedView=all
• Instagraminstagram.com/mhfnz
• TikToktiktok.com/@mentalhealthnz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Mental Health Foundation