Asian Family Services (AFS)

What Asian Family Services (AFS) does

Asian Family Services (AFS) is a non-profit charitable trust founded in 1998 in Auckland, New Zealand, providing culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health, gambling harm minimization, and social wellbeing services to Asian communities across New Zealand. The organization delivers free, confidential services through the Asian Helpline (0800 862 342), face-to-face counselling in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, telehealth/video counselling, school-based programmes, and community workshops, offered in 9+ Asian languages including Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, Hindi, and Fiji Indian. AFS operates multiple service lines: Gambling Harm Minimisation (its Ministry of Health-funded core), Asian Wellbeing Services (psychological interventions), Kia Ora Ake (child and youth mental health in schools), Asian IPMHA Service (integrated primary mental health), Clinical Services (individual/couple/family counselling), and Public Health Work (community health promotion).

AFS's underlying service platform is built around two proprietary frameworks: the Tree Model, a therapeutic model mapping the migration journey (roots: culture/values/beliefs; trunk: status/self-esteem; branches: language/education; leaves: achievements/network; fruits: health), and a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) service methodology. The organization employs 33 staff across three locations and connects approximately 9,188 people to services annually, handling 7,734 helpline calls and delivering 2,452 counselling sessions per year.

The business model is non-profit and government-dependent: the Ministry of Health funds gambling harm services as the primary revenue stream, while the Ministry of Education funds Project Connect for international students, and the Ministry for Ethnic Communities has funded specific campaigns. Donations, event sponsorships, and community grants supplement funding for non-gambling services such as mental health, parenting, and relationship support. AFS became an independent entity from the Problem Gambling Foundation in July 2022 and has since pursued a growth trajectory marked by national geographic expansion, the launch of new programs (Kia Ora Ake, Asian IPMHA, Workforce Symposium), and high-profile convening events such as the Asian Mental Health and Wellbeing Summits in 2024 and 2025, and the inaugural Flourishing Asian Communities & Workforce Symposium in 2026.

Name

Asian Family Services (AFS)

Legal name

Asian Family Services

Website

https://asianfamilyservices.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Asian Family Services is a non-profit charitable trust providing free, culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health, gambling harm, and wellbeing services to Asian communities across New Zealand in 9+ Asian languages, delivered via a national helpline, counselling, telehealth, and school programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Mental Health Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Social Assistance (624), Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health Counseling & Therapy Services (K–12) (EDAJALAG), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), Family Engagement & Caregiver Support Programs (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAK)

Keywords

• Culturally tailored counselling
• Gambling harm minimisation
• Multilingual mental health support
• Asian community wellbeing services
• CALD health promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding - Ministry of Health: AFS receives funding from the Ministry of Health specifically for gambling-related services. This covers the core gambling harm minimisation services provided to the community.
2. Donations and Community Support: As a non-profit organisation, AFS relies on donations from the community to fund non-gambling related services such as mental health, parenting, and relationship support. Donors can claim one third of their donation from IRD at the end of each financial year.
3. Event Sponsorships: AFS accepts ongoing sponsorships including monthly instalments or one-off support for events or programmes such as summits and workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Asian Family Services provides professional, confidential, culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health, gambling harm minimisation, and social wellbeing services to Asian individuals and families living in Aotearoa New Zealand. Services are delivered in nine Asian languages through the Asian Helpline, face-to-face counselling, telehealth/video, school-based programmes, and community health promotion, all free of charge to clients.

Product overview

Asian Family Services (AFS) is a non-profit charitable trust providing professional, confidential mental health, gambling harm, and social wellbeing services to Asian communities across New Zealand. The organization operates as a unified service platform offering multiple interconnected programs including the Asian Helpline (telephone support), Gambling Harm Minimisation counselling, Asian Wellbeing Services (psychological interventions), Kia Ora Ake (child and youth mental health in schools), Asian IPMHA Service (integrated primary mental health), Clinical Services (individual/family/group therapy), and Public Health Work (community health promotion). Services are delivered in multiple Asian languages across branches in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. The organization also produces educational resources including the Reach Out Campaign, Project Connect for international students, and documentaries addressing identity and mental health themes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asian Helpline A confidential, nationwide telephone support service providing face-to-face or telephone support to Asians living in New Zealand, available Monday to Friday, 9am-8pm, and serving as the central intake channel for all AFS services.
• Gambling Harm Minimisation Professional counselling and guidance delivered free to clients through face-to-face, phone, and video counselling to assist Asian individuals and families in resolving gambling-related personal, family, social, and psychological issues.
• Asian Wellbeing Services Professional and confidential psychological interventions, tailor-made psychoeducation, and therapy workshops for the Asian community in New Zealand, accessible via the Asian Helpline.
• Kia Ora Ake (KOA) A child and youth mental health service working in East and South Auckland schools to deliver wellbeing support through psychoeducation, purposeful activities, and games tailored to tamariki (children).
• Asian IPMHA Service Mental health and wellbeing services providing integrated primary mental health care for Asian communities across New Zealand.
• Clinical Services Culturally appropriate mental health and addiction support including individual, couple, and family counselling, as well as group therapy sessions delivered in multiple Asian languages by qualified clinicians.
• Public Health Work Health promotion activities focused on raising awareness about gambling harms within Asian communities and supporting positive change among those affected by gambling problems, delivered through community events and outreach.
• Project Connect An initiative funded by the Ministry of Education's International Student Wellbeing Strategy that promotes intercultural interactions and provides health, safety, and support services information for international students.
• Reach Out Campaign Online resources and video campaign targeting older people, pregnant women, new mothers, and people with long-term health conditions, available in multiple Asian languages including Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Hindi.
• The Inbetweeners Documentary A documentary collaboration exploring identity and sense of belonging in New Zealand for ethnically diverse youth, funded by the Ministry for Ethnic Communities' Community Development Fund.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Auckland (Thriving at Crossroads Project)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 August 2025Co-hosted the Asian Mental Health and Wellbeing Summit 2025 with the University of Auckland's Health Research Council funded project 'Thriving at Crossroads'. Partnership focuses on systemic change research for Asian youth mental health.
• Hon Matt Doocey (Minister for Mental Health)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 August 2024Minister for Mental Health participated in and supported the Flourishing Futures Summit 2024, acknowledging the need for tailored mental health services for Asian communities.
• Hon Melissa LeecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Launched a groundbreaking mental wellbeing resource specifically designed by AFS for Asian communities.
• eCALD ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership for national CALD (Cultural and Linguistic Diversity) cultural competency training programme, including 'Working with Addiction with CALD clients' module.
• Dapaanz (Drug and Alcohol Practitioners' Association Aotearoa)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017AFS has been in partnership with Dapaanz since 2017 to host the pre-Cutting Edge Asian Hui, providing a dedicated space to share Asian-focused research and CALD training for the addiction sector.
• Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGF Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998AFS was originally established in 1998 as part of the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand. In February 2023, AFS became an independent entity with the blessing of its PGF parent body. PGF continues as a strategic partner supporting AFS's mission to serve Asian communities affected by gambling harm.
• PGF ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPGF Services logo appears on AFS website as a partner organisation.
• Mapu MaiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMapu Maia logo appears on AFS website as a partner organisation.
• Changing MindsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health organisation partnership for collaborative initiatives.
• Apollo MedicalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHealthcare provider partnership for health service delivery.
• Comprehensive CareminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHealthcare partnership for coordinated patient care.
• Aoake te RaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMāori health organisation partnership for culturally appropriate services.
• E Tipu E ReaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth and wellbeing organisation partnership.
• Ministry of Ethnic CommunitiescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment ministry that funded AFS's COVID Booster Promotion Campaign and Community Development Fund for the 'Inbetweeners' documentary.
• Harbour Sport (ActivAsian)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional sports trust partner promoting physical activity programmes for Asian communities.
• Age Concern (Asian Services)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership providing culturally appropriate services for older Asian people in Mandarin and Cantonese.
• HealthpointminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHealth information referral partner for alcohol and drug support services.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• eCALD Services: NZ provider of cultural and linguistic diversity (CALD) competency training and resources for the health workforce. Direct strategic partner with AFS; comparable as a CALD-specialized cultural support provider, though focused on training rather than direct service delivery.
• Changing Minds: NZ mental health organisation listed as an AFS partner. Operates in adjacent mental health advocacy and education space with community-led delivery model comparable to AFS, though smaller scale and different focal populations.
• Korean Community Wellness Society Inc: Community-led Korean wellness organization in NZ chaired by AFS board member Dr. Aram Kim. Comparable as an ethnic-specific mental health and wellbeing provider in NZ, but narrower in scope (Korean only) and smaller in scale.

Broad incumbents

• 1737 (Need to Talk?): Government-funded 24/7 mental health helpline and text service in NZ. Comparable to AFS's Asian Helpline in channel and crisis-support function, but broader in population and non-CALD-specialized.
• Lifeline Aotearoa: Major national mental health crisis and counselling service in NZ. Overlaps with AFS in counselling and helpline delivery, but serves the general population rather than Asian-specific communities, making it a broader incumbent in the same space.

Regional players

• Mapu Maia: Pacific-focused health and wellbeing service provider in NZ, listed as an AFS partner. Comparable in operating model (community-led, culturally tailored, NZ-specific) but serving Pacific rather than Asian communities — closest cross-cultural peer.
• Le Va: Pacific mental health and addiction workforce development organization in NZ. Comparable in community-led mental health/addictions focus and NZ-only footprint, but serving Pacific communities rather than Asian.
• Wellington Chinese Association: Ethnic Chinese community organization in Wellington with AFS board member Debbie Chin as current chair. Comparable as an NZ Chinese community-support organization, though less focused on clinical mental health service delivery.
• Auckland Chinese Community Centre: Community-based organization serving Chinese populations in Auckland with social support, cultural, and wellbeing programming. Comparable in ethnic-specific community services model, though broader in remit and less specialized in mental health.

Direct peers

• PGF Group (Problem Gambling Foundation): Former parent organization of AFS and a major NZ provider of gambling harm minimisation services. Directly comparable as a community-based gambling harm provider with overlapping counselling, helpline, and public health functions; remains a strategic partner after AFS's 2022/2023 spin-off.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AsianFamilyServicesAFS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asian-family-services-afs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Asian Family Services (AFS)