Te Kura invests in Youth Mental Health First Aid

In 2025, Te Kura made a significant investment to train 20 Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) instructors across the motu, strengthening mental health support for ākonga throughout their distance education network. Their 20 accredited MHFA instructors have trained a total of 192 Te Kura kaimahi so far across 13 two-day Youth MHFA workshops.

Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu is embedding mental health literacy across its organisation through a comprehensive rollout of Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Aotearoa training – equipping staff with the skills and confidence to recognise and respond when young people are experiencing mental health challenges.

In May, three newly trained Te Kura staff delivered their first internal workshop to 16 kaimahi in Wellington, just months after completing their own five-day instructor training in March.

Te Kura, which provides distance education to more than 28,000 students each year from early childhood through to NCEA Level Three, recognised the unique mental health support needs of rangatahi learning remotely across Aotearoa.

"This training has given our kaimahi the confidence and practical tools to recognise when a young person is struggling and to know how best to respond," said Te Kura Central-South Regional Manager Anil Singh, who co-facilitated the May workshop with two Te Kura colleagues. "It's not just theory - it's something we can apply straight away to support ākonga."

Building capacity across the organisation

The two-day Youth MHFA workshop explores topics including depression, anxiety, substance use, eating disorders, psychosis, self-harm and suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Throughout the programme, participants learn to apply ALGEE, the MHFA five-step action plan that guides safe, effective, and compassionate conversations. The framework equips adults to provide initial support and connect rangatahi with appropriate professional or community services.

Te Kura Overseas and Early Childhood Regional Manager Wendy Talbot-Aspin, who co-facilitated the course alongside colleagues Anil Singh and Kaiārahi Toiora Ellyn Xu, says the model creates long-term impact.

“What's powerful about this programme is that it doesn't stop with those who attended," she said. "The knowledge and skills will ripple out into schools, whānau, and communities across the motu."

Since establishing their cohort of 20 instructors, Te Kura has delivered 13 Youth MHFA workshops throughout 2025, reaching 192 kaimahi across the organisation so far. This substantial rollout demonstrates Te Kura's ongoing commitment to building internal capacity and ensuring consistent, culturally responsive mental health support reaches ākonga wherever they are learning.

Evidence-based support for rangatahi

Youth MHFA is an evidence-based, internationally recognised programme, delivered in more than 30 countries around the world. Globally, more than 8.5 million people have completed a two-day workshop, and in New Zealand, that number is well over 10,000.

Te Pou holds the licence for the programme in Aotearoa, and it has been adapted to reflect the voices and experiences of Māori, Pacific, and rainbow communities, grounded in both clinical expertise and lived experience. Research shows MHFA improves mental health knowledge, reduces stigma, and encourages early help-seeking behaviours.

Te Pou acknowledges Te Kura’s leadership and their ongoing commitment to embedding Youth Mental Health First Aid in their organisation, ensuring young people are surrounded by supportive, informed adults who are ready to help when needed.