What Here to help u does

Here to help u is a New Zealand-registered nonprofit community service operated by Wise Group/Wise Trust, founded in 2020 during the country's first COVID-19 lockdown. It functions as a no-barriers, free-of-charge referral and signposting platform connecting individuals and whānau (families) in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions to local community support providers across four pillars: Hauora (wellbeing), Kāinga (home), Kai (food), and Whānau (family).

The product surface comprises a web portal (heretohelpu.nz), a freephone callback service (0800 568 273), a searchable provider directory of ~300 community organisations across the two regions, an online help-request form feeding a secure case management system, and a Youth Portal co-developed with Youth Voices Action. Technology is conventional — Microsoft Azure hosting, Office 365 productivity tooling, PowerBI for data visualisation, HubSpot for newsletter delivery, Google Analytics, and Vimeo/YouTube for video — with no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Human 'Connectors' triage requests and refer users to appropriate local providers; the platform also exposes crisis-support contact details (1737, Lifeline, Healthline, Youthline, etc.).

The business model is non-commercial: there are no fees, subscriptions, or charges to users of any kind. Operational funding comes from government agencies, charitable funders, and the partner community service providers who co-developed the platform with Wise Group; intellectual property sits with Wise Trust. Go-to-market is community-led — physical presence at university expos (Waikato, Wintec), community events (Tauranga Youth Fest), and an active Instagram channel. With approximately five employees, no disclosed funding rounds, no revenue or ARR, and an explicit statement that the service does not currently operate outside Waikato and Bay of Plenty, the organisation is operating as a small, regionally bounded nonprofit platform whose cumulative reach metric is 244,616 people supported since inception.

Name

Here to help u

Legal name

Here to help u (Wise Trust)

Website

https://heretohelpu.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Here to help u is a New Zealand nonprofit, founded in 2020 and operated by Wise Group, that provides free, no-barriers referral services connecting individuals and whānau in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions to ~300 local community support providers across wellbeing, housing, food, and family domains.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

Keywords

• Community support referrals
• Social services directory
• Nonprofit welfare support
• Community provider network
• Youth support portal

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Free community support service: The service is provided completely free to users. It is funded by government agencies, charitable funders, and community service providers who partnered with The Wise Group to develop the platform during New Zealand's first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. No fees or charges are levied on individuals seeking support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Here to help u is a free community support service that connects people living in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions of New Zealand to a curated network of around 300 community providers across social, health, disability, housing, education, family, financial, and crisis support. Individuals access the service by searching a location-based provider directory on heretohelpu.nz, completing an online help-request form, or calling an 0800 freephone line to speak with a trained connector who matches them to appropriate local support.

Product overview

Here to help u is a single integrated platform offering free, no-barriers access to community support services in New Zealand. The core platform (Here to help u) serves as the central hub where users submit help requests through an online form or via a freephone callback service. A team of Connectors triages requests using a secure case management system and links users to appropriate local providers identified through the Community Provider Directory. The platform also includes a dedicated Youth Portal (built with Youth Voices Action) for young people in Tauranga and Western Bay. Crisis Support Resources are embedded throughout for urgent needs. The service operates across the Waikato (~200 providers) and Bay of Plenty (~100 providers) regions and has supported over 244,616 people.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Support Referral Service Core service for residents of Waikato and Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, that helps individuals identify and access appropriate local community support across areas such as social services, health, disability, housing, education, family, and financial hardship. Delivered through the website, an 0800 freephone line, and trained connector staff.
• Community Provider Directory Searchable location-based directory listing approximately 300 community providers (about 200 in Waikato and 100 in Bay of Plenty) across social, health, disability, housing, education, family, financial, and crisis support. Users can search by region/sub-region and category.
• 0800 Freephone Callback Service Free 0800 telephone line staffed by connector staff who take callers' details and arrange a callback to help match them with appropriate community support. Provides a non-digital access channel for individuals who cannot or prefer not to use the website.
• Youth Portal Youth-focused sub-portal of Here to help u, co-developed with the Howick community, providing tailored pathways and information for young people seeking community support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 244,616 people supported
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wise GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWise Group is the parent organization that developed 'Here to help u' during New Zealand's first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The service is operated by Wise Group and all intellectual property belongs to Wise Trust. Wise Group provides the operational infrastructure, case management systems, and staff (Connectors) who deliver the service.
• Community Service Providers (100s of local providers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe service partners with hundreds of community providers across Waikato (~200) and Bay of Plenty (~100) who deliver wellbeing and social support services. These providers cover areas including hauora/wellbeing, kāinga/home support, kai/food support, and whānau/family services.
• Youth Voices Action (YVA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Youth Voices Action to develop a Youth Portal - a simple online destination for young people across Tauranga and Western Bay to find support, opportunities, and information quickly.
• MBIE (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment)minorOthersMBIE hosted a Rights and Responsibilities: Tenancy Workshop in collaboration with Here to help u, designed to provide practical information for kaimahi, whānau and community providers supporting people who rent.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• One Degree: US nonprofit social services platform that connects low-income families to verified community resources across food, housing, health, and education categories. Closely comparable referral/navigation model targeting vulnerable populations, with similar free-to-user model and provider directory.
• 211 (United Way): North America's largest free, confidential social services helpline and online directory. Operates a 24/7 referral service connecting people to local resources — a near-direct functional analog to Here to help u's Connector team plus directory, just at much larger scale.
• Aunt Bertha (Findhelp): US-based social services search and referral platform (formerly Aunt Bertha, rebranded as Findhelp). Directly analogous model: free directory of community programs (food, housing, healthcare, etc.) with referral/connection functionality. Strongest product-market analog to Here to help u's directory-plus-connector model.
• Family Services Directory (NZ MSD): New Zealand government's national directory of family and community support services, explicitly referenced by Here to help u as the fallback for users outside Waikato/Bay of Plenty. Most direct competitive substitute in NZ.

Regional players

• Youthline New Zealand: NZ youth-focused helpline and support service. Comparable NZ regional provider of free, confidential referral and counseling; Here to help u has already collaborated with Youth Voices Action on a youth portal, indicating overlap in target persona.
• 1737 (Need to Talk?): New Zealand government-funded mental health and wellbeing helpline offering free call/text support. Comparable NZ regional player with similar connector-style human triage, though narrower in scope (mental health only) versus Here to help u's four-domain model.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army New Zealand: Major NZ social services provider operating food banks, addiction services, housing support, and family programs across the country. Broader incumbent providing some of the same categories of service (food, family, housing) that Here to help u connects users to, and a potential partner/displacement risk.

Emerging players

• Linkline / Community Links (UK): UK-based community navigation and advice services. Similar model of connecting vulnerable residents to local support services via trained advisors, but operates as a broader multi-service provider rather than a pure referral layer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/heretohelpunz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heretohelpu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Here to help u