Changing Minds
Changing Minds is a New Zealand not-for-profit trust, led by people with lived experience of mental health and addiction, that delivers peer-supported wellbeing programmes, digital learning platforms, and policy advocacy across Aotearoa, funded primarily by government grants and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Changing Minds does
Changing Minds is a national not-for-profit charitable trust headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, founded in 2000 and led and operated by people with lived experience of mental health and addiction. The organization operates across health services, advocacy, human rights, and health policy in Aotearoa, with the stated mission of activating the strategic voice of lived experience to drive equitable wellbeing outcomes. Its core portfolio centres on peer-supported programmes including Whakatau Mai | The Wellbeing Sessions (an online wellbeing programme that has delivered 1,200+ sessions to 5,200+ guests), Rākau Roroa (Tall Trees, a lived-experience leadership initiative with 125+ trained facilitators), and the Discovery Space | Ātea tūhurutanga (a digital learning platform for peer support workers covering foundations, harm reduction, and professional development). Additional offerings include RecoVRy (a Virtual Reality empathy-building platform), The Big reTHiNK (a global arts and theatre festival), and resource directories for mental health and NZSL support.
The organization is funded through a mix of government grants (Ministry of Health, Te Whatu Ora, Community Organisation Grants Scheme, Lottery Grants Board), donations via Givealittle, fundraising events, and foundation grants (ANZ Foundation, 2022). It maintains strategic partnerships with government health authorities, Health Quality & Safety Commission (Zero Seclusion project), and peer NGOs including Mental Health Foundation, Platform Trust, Balance Aotearoa, and OUTline. No commercial pricing model is applied — all services, resources, and programmes are delivered free of charge to the community. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. With approximately 10 employees, governance by a Board of Trustees, and CEO Kevin Harper appointed in May 2022, Changing Minds operates as a lean advocacy and service-delivery organization with national policy influence disproportionate to its operational scale.
Changing Minds firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Changing Minds
- Legal name
- Changing Minds Trust
- Website
- https://changingminds.org.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Changing Minds is a New Zealand not-for-profit trust, led by people with lived experience of mental health and addiction, that delivers peer-supported wellbeing programmes, digital learning platforms, and policy advocacy across Aotearoa, funded primarily by government grants and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Changing Minds industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mental Health Advocacy and Peer Support Services
- NAICS
- Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual Behavioral Health Integration Platforms (HLALABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Behavioral Health & Substance Use Remote Monitoring (HLACAFAD), Change Management & Transformation Consulting (BPAHAGAC)
Keywords
Where Changing Minds is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Changing Minds business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Government Grants and Funding: Primary funding from government bodies including Ministry of Health, Te Whatu Ora, Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS), and Lottery Grants Board to support mental health advocacy, research, and service delivery.
- Donations: Individual donations through Givealittle platform and general donations to support organizational mahi and community programmes.
- Fundraising: Community and individual fundraising events to generate additional support for organizational activities and programmes.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Changing Minds product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Changing Minds is a national not-for-profit trust that delivers lived-experience-led mental health and addiction programmes across Aotearoa New Zealand. Core offerings centre on the Whakatau Mai online peer-supported wellbeing sessions, the Rākau Roroa facilitator training and digital learning platform, the Discovery Space learning modules for peer support workers, and the Peer Support Framework for Gambling Harm. The organisation also leads the RecoVRy Virtual Reality empathy-building platform, the Storytelling Programme, advocacy initiatives including the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, and resource directories for mental health and NZSL-accessible support services.
Product overview
Changing Minds operates as a national not-for-profit organization led by people with lived experience of mental health and addiction. Its product portfolio centers on peer support and lived experience-led programs, including Whakatau Mai | The Wellbeing Sessions (an online peer-supported wellbeing programme), Rākau Roroa (a lived experience leadership initiative with digital learning platform), and the Discovery space (Ātea tūhurutanga) with multiple learning modules covering foundations for support, starting out in peer support, harm reduction, learning and development, working together, and resources. The organization also offers innovative platforms including RecoVRy (Virtual Reality empathy platform) and The Big reTHiNK (global arts and theatre festival), alongside advocacy work through submissions, policy engagement, and community resources including directories for mental health and NZSL support services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Rākau Roroa (Tall Trees): New Zealand's lived experience leadership initiative and social movement that trains and supports facilitators and mentors who use their personal lived experience of mental distress and/or addiction to inspire others.
- Whakatau Mai (The Wellbeing Sessions)
- RecoVRy
- The Big reTHiNK
Products and services
- Whakatau Mai | The Wellbeing Sessions A national peer-supported, holistic, online and fully accessible wellbeing programme that delivers live wellbeing sessions to guests, run by people with lived experience of mental health and/or addiction.
- Rākau Roroa (Tall Trees) A lived-experience leadership initiative and social movement that trains and supports facilitators and mentors using personal lived experience of mental distress and/or addiction to inspire others and reduce stigma across Aotearoa, delivered through a dedicated digital learning platform.
- Discovery Space (Ātea tūhurutanga) An online learning and development space for peer support workers, tangata whaiora and whānau, including modules on foundations for support, starting out in peer support, harm reduction, learning and development, working together, and resources and insights.
- Mental Health + Wellbeing Strategy (MHWS) Strategic initiative focused on mental health and wellbeing policy and advocacy work, positioning lived-experience leadership in system-level decision making.
- National Representative Body (NRB Project) Project focused on representing the voice of people with lived experience at a national level to drive systemic change in mental health and addiction services.
- Mapping Research Research initiative that maps and understands lived-experience perspectives to inform mental health system transformation across Aotearoa.
- Storytelling Programme Programme that trains and supports people to safely share their lived-experience stories to reduce stigma and discrimination in mental health and addiction.
- Peer Support Framework for Gambling Harm Framework building foundations for a gambling harm peer workforce, embedding lived experience and cultural leadership, and reducing stigma through national understanding of gambling harm impacts.
- Directory Resource directory connecting people with mental health and gambling harm support services across Aotearoa New Zealand.
- NZSL Support Directory Specialised directory providing NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) support and mental health resources for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
- RecoVRy Virtual Reality empathy-building platform developed by Changing Minds to create immersive experiences for understanding mental health challenges.
- The Big reTHiNK Global arts and theatre festival focused on mental health awareness and lived-experience perspectives, amplifying voices from people who have navigated mental distress and addiction.
Quantifiable outcome
- 5200+ guests supported through Whakatau Mai wellbeing sessions
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Changing Minds
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Changing Minds technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Changing Minds partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- JPF Films (Jared Flitcroft)minorPartnership with award-winning Tāngata Turi filmmaker to deliver Deaf video series - by and for the Deaf community. Videos designed to raise awareness around mental distress and build trust within Deaf community.
- Manatū Hauora | Ministry of HealthcorePrimary government funder and key stakeholder in mental health policy. Ministry provides operational funding and partners on mental health system transformation initiatives.
- Te Whatu Ora | Health New ZealandcoreMajor government health authority providing funding and partnership on mental health service delivery and system transformation.
- Health Quality & Safety CommissioncorePartner in Zero Seclusion project aimed at eliminating seclusion in mental health services. Working with national mental health and addiction KPI programme.
- Te Pou o te Whakaaro NuicorePartner in Zero Seclusion project working to eliminate seclusion by 2020 as part of Ngā poutama oranga hinengaro-mahitahi quality improvement programme.
- Balance AotearoaminorCollaborating organization on mental health advocacy submissions including Mental Health Act Guidelines feedback.
- Platform TrustminorMental health NGO alliance partner collaborating on submissions and advocacy work including Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill.
- OUTlineminorLGBTQ+ support organization collaborating on mental health advocacy and submissions.
- Mental Health FoundationminorMental health charity partner collaborating on advocacy work and sharing perspectives on mental health priorities.
- Suicide Mortality Review CommitteeminorGovernment review committee on suicide mortality collaborating on advocacy and research sharing lived experience insights.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Changing Minds competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Te Pou o te Whakaaro Nui: National NZ mental health and addiction workforce development organisation; Changing Minds' co-partner on the Zero Seclusion initiative, with comparable national footprint, government funding, and peer/lived-experience workforce focus.
- Emerge Aotearoa: NZ mental health NGO providing community and residential support, including to Deaf and hearing-impaired communities; a listed Changing Minds partner addressing the same populations with overlapping peer-support and advocacy functions.
- SANE Australia: Australian mental health charity focused on advocacy, peer support, and complex trauma — comparable lived-experience-led model, government and donor funding mix, and policy-submission operating model.
- Mental Health Foundation (New Zealand): NZ national mental health charity doing awareness, education, advocacy and policy submissions — directly comparable operating model and mission to Changing Minds, and a fellow collaborator in the NZ mental health NGO coalition.
- Like Minds Like Mine: NZ-based social movement and programme aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination toward people with experience of mental distress — directly comparable lived-experience-led advocacy mission.
- Mind (UK): UK mental health charity providing information, peer support, advocacy and policy campaigns — comparable in combining lived-experience voice, government engagement, and free community programmes.
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): US grassroots mental health organization built around lived-experience advocacy, peer education, and policy work — a direct analogue in mission, member/peer network, and government engagement model.
Others
- Platform Trust: NZ mental health NGO alliance partner of Changing Minds, collaborating on mental health legislation submissions; an adjacent peer organisation rather than a direct competitor, illustrating the coalition operating environment.
Broad incumbents
- Beyond Blue (Australia): Larger, broader-portfolio Australian mental health organisation spanning awareness, digital tools, clinical information and advocacy; comparable space but operates at significantly greater scale and scope.
Emerging players
- Hearing Voices Network: International peer-led movement supporting people who hear voices, with focus on lived experience, peer support groups, and challenging mainstream mental health practice — closely aligned with Changing Minds' peer-support architecture.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Changing Minds social profiles
Digital presenceChanging Minds compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Changing Minds financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Changing Minds leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Changing Minds funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Changing Minds M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Changing Minds
What does Changing Minds do?
Changing Minds is a national not-for-profit trust that delivers lived-experience-led mental health and addiction programmes across Aotearoa New Zealand. Core offerings centre on the Whakatau Mai online peer-supported wellbeing sessions, the Rākau Roroa facilitator training and digital learning platform, the Discovery Space learning modules for peer support workers, and the Peer Support Framework for Gambling Harm. The organisation also leads the RecoVRy Virtual Reality empathy-building platform, the Storytelling Programme, advocacy initiatives including the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, and resource directories for mental health and NZSL-accessible support services.
Is Changing Minds a public or private company?
Changing Minds is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Changing Minds founded?
Changing Minds was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Changing Minds based?
Changing Minds is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Changing Minds make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Grants and Funding is the primary driver. The others are donations and fundraising.
Who are Changing Minds's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Te Pou o te Whakaaro Nui, Emerge Aotearoa, SANE Australia, Mental Health Foundation (New Zealand), Like Minds Like Mine, Mind (UK) and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Platform Trust is listed as an others. Beyond Blue (Australia) is listed as a broad incumbent. Hearing Voices Network is listed as an emerging player.
Does Changing Minds have an API?
No public API is recorded for Changing Minds.
What industry is Changing Minds in?
Changing Minds's product category is Mental Health Advocacy and Peer Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLALABAE, Virtual Behavioral Health Integration Platforms, with a secondary code of HLACAFAD, Behavioral Health & Substance Use Remote Monitoring. Its NAICS code is 624190 and its SIC code is 8300.