Hon Matt Doocey
Minister for Mental Health

An online hub with mental wellbeing tools and resources designed to help farmers and growers deal with the stress of adverse weather events has been officially launched by Minister for Mental Health, Matt Doocey.

“Adverse weather events are an increasingly common reality for our farmers and growers. It’s vital that people know that they’re not alone and that they can get through this and come out the other side stronger,” Mr Doocey says.

“Farming and growing isn’t easy work. There are already a ton of challenges to navigate even before the likes of floods and cyclones are thrown into the mix. When things get bad it’s okay not to be okay, but it’s critical people know to ask for help”.

The Getting Through resources, funded by Health NZ, but created by Farmstrong are freely available via rural sector organisations and can be quickly accessed and shared through the website https://gettingthrough.farmstrong.co.nz

“By compiling real experiences alongside professional psychological advice, ‘Getting Through’ will help our farmers and growers build strategies and resilience to lean on when challenges arise,” Mr Doocey says.

“It will be an important resource for the rural community, who often live in geographically isolated areas.

“We are working on growing the number of supports available to those who can’t easily meet face-to-face with a clinician. Telehealth, online counselling and resources like ‘Getting Through’ are an important part.“

Farmstrong is a national provider of rural mental health and wellbeing support to help farmers, growers and their families manage the challenges of farming through practical tools and resources.

Note to editor:

$345,000 of funding from Health NZ through the North Island Weather Events Response and Recovery package, was allocated to Farmstrong to promote wellbeing support and provide free resources to rural families and communities. 

This funding also enabled Farmstrong to host resilience-building events in partnership with rural support providers, reaching communities across the North Island, including isolated areas like the Far North and North Tairāwhiti.

While primarily aimed at those dealing with extreme weather events, these resources offer universal lessons for anyone facing adversity.

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