5 ways to well-being
Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 in New Zealand will be held from 6 to 12 October and the theme is ‘Top Up Together’.
A ccording to the latest well-being figures from Stats NZ, more women in New Zealand report experiencing poor mental wellbeing, at 31 per cent, compared with 22 per cent of men. However, just over two-thirds of people (67 per cent) said they would find it ‘easy’ or ‘very easy’ to talk to someone if they were feeling down or depressed, which is up from 62 per cent in 2021.
Collating data from the 2023 General Social Survey, Stats NZ found that 26 per cent of people in Aotearoa reported experiencing poor mental well-being (based on the World Health Organisation-Five Wellbeing Index, or WHO-5). The annual Mental Health Awareness Week campaign encourages Kiwis to focus on their wellbeing by connecting with others and bringing the Five Ways to Wellbeing into their daily lives.
The five ways to well-being
The WHO-5 is a self-report instrument measuring mental well-being. This framework provides actionable steps to boost your mental health:
- Connect: Spend time with people
- Give: Do something for others
- Be active: Move your body
- Take notice: Observe and be aware of your surroundings
- Keep learning: Learn new things.
Resources and ideas for Mental Health Awareness week can be found on the mhaw.nz website.
