“There’s a domino effect of wellbeing”

The training is designed to equip attendees with the knowledge and confidence to approach or respond to someone who is experiencing a mental health challenge, or mental health crisis, until appropriate professional help is received, or the crisis is resolved.

“This is really about creating a healthy workplace environment which benefits not only kaimahi, but also our ākonga (students),” says Caroline Latu, Marlborough based kaimanaaki.

“There’s a domino effect of wellbeing when we make sure our workplace is a place of wellbeing as well.”

Caroline and Ange recently completed training to become qualified Mental Health First Aid Instructors. They are now tasked with upskilling staff across Te Tauihu to be able to confidently identify risk and respond accordingly.

“A lot of it is active listening, noticing shifts in behaviour, and asking the right questions,” Caroline says. “Once the challenge has been identified, you can then find who is best to support them.”

Caroline and Ange are looking forward to sharing their knowledge and getting to know kaimahi they don’t see on a daily basis.

Caroline identifies as a proud Tongan, working at NMIT as a Kaimanaaki – Student Support for Māori and Pasifika ākonga, and believes wellbeing is paramount to being successful in both studies and home life.

Ange works on the Nelson campus as a Study Support Coordinator. She loves working at NMIT and sees lots of overlap in wellbeing and learning - "when someone's in a good place with their mental health, then they find it easier to study and learn."

The Mental Health First Aid workshop is open to all kaimahi from Te Pūkenga across the motu and is just one of the programmes offered to boost mental wellbeing.