Sir John’s return visit to take in Uawa, Wairoa

A passionate Sir John Kirwan offered an audience at Te Karaka Area School advice, and talked of his own mental health experiences, during his last visit to the district in May. File picture

Mental health campaigner and All Black legend Sir John Kirwan returns to the district next month but  a day later than first flagged.

Sir John, Westpac New Zealand’s mental health ambassador, will visit Tolaga Bay and Wairoa on August 10 as he continues to deliver his messages of hope and resilience to communities devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle.

He will speak at Tolaga Bay Golf Club at

12 noon and Wairoa Community Centre at 5pm.

All are welcome, and food will be provided at both venues.

Sir John, who also appears regularly on Sky Sport during the rugby season, spoke to more than 1000 people across Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne/Tairāwhiti during his last visit in May, when he shared stories about his battles with mental illness.

“It was a real eye-opening experience to travel around the region and hear first-hand what people have been through in the aftermath of this year’s storms,” he said.

“The resilience of these flood-hit communities has been amazing, but people are tired and doing it tough, so I look forward to helping bring people together to reconnect, share a few laughs and hopefully go away in a better frame of mind.

“It’s great to be working with Westpac and the amazing people in our communities to help get people talking about the mental health challenges we face as a country.”