Whangārei event at Hatea Loop aims to unlock mental wellness

The Hatea Loop Walkway will be the venue tomorrow for community activities that emphasise cornerstones of mental wellness.

Whangārei people can ''unlock their wellbeing'' and enjoy a community event on the Hatea Loop Walkway marking the last day of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Tomorrow, all non-government organisations offering mental health and addiction services in Whangārei will work together to emphasise this year's theme, focusing on wellbeing and positive living.

Enjoying the environment is a big part of the healing process.

Nearly half of all New Zealanders will experience mental illness at some stage in their lives, either their own health or that of someone close to them.

Some illness might be a bout of depression a person experiences only once in their lifetime; others have more lingering problems. Most recover.

The main message of the week has been that even when someone is unwell life can be good and fulfilling, and there is plenty of easy, commonsense self help as well as professional help.

That is why the Mental Health Foundation chose ''Unlock Your Wellbeing'' as this year's campaign theme.

The main activities tomorrow will take place from 10am until 1pm in front of Claphams Clock Museum, and a band will play on the Canopy Bridge from midday until 2pm. There will also be some stalls.

Activities will include volunteers having brief conversations with people in the area about how to maintain their wellbeing in often busy lives, co-ordinator for Arataki Ministries Loius Tousain said.

A well-known Māori model of health, Te Whare Tapa Wha, will form part of those conversations.

''This model has plenty of information on the internet. It has four dimensions, like the four walls of a house. There is the physical domain (tinana), the emotional domain (hinengaro), the whanau domain, and the spiritual domain (wairua),'' Tousain said.

It will be the first time an event of its kind, involving all providers, has been staged locally as part of Mental Health Week.

Northland District Health Board donates money each year for community organisations to organise and run activities in MHA week. This year Arataki Ministries is administrating the fund.

Providers in Kaipara, Mid-North, and Far-North will also hold local activities.