Plunket asks for help to keep Waikato parent mental health service

Whānau Āwhina Plunket is asking New Zealanders to donate on its Giving Day, 15 October, to help continue the Online Perinatal Wellbeing Service (OPWS).

Plunket says 85% of clients who have been through the programme have improved mental health. Almost six in ten whānau using the service live in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation.

The Waikato service launched in early 2026 with one-off funding from Health New Zealand’s Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund. The Wright Family Foundation and the Peter and Joanna Masfen Foundation also backed it.

Plunket says it was designed for parents who face barriers to timely support, such as the cost of ongoing private therapy. It cites an estimate that 11,000 women in Aotearoa New Zealand experience perinatal depression or anxiety each year, and around 75% do not meet the threshold for specialist mental health services.

“The investment in one person is actually an investment in two generations, not just in infancy and childhood, but across the whole developmental lifespan,” said Alex, a mental health nurse who delivers OPWS’s online care.

Funds raised will help Plunket continue the service beyond its first year. Plunket says $410,000 is needed to fund OPWS through year two.

Giving Day runs for 24 hours or until match funds run out. The Wright Family Foundation will match every donation dollar for dollar, which doubles the impact of each contribution.

Donations can be made from 15 October. Giving Day falls within Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from 12 to 18 October.