Youth mental health was in the spotlight at Fieldays which finished last Saturday.
Advocate Mike King manned the Gumboot Friday stall to share awareness about New Zealand’s mental health track record, and how he’s helping.
Mike King and River Brownlie, 14, talk mental youth mental health and wellbeing at Fieldays last week.
One happy visitor was 13-year-old River Roper of Pirongia, who comes from a dairy farming family formerly based in Piopio.
Of King, the teenager said, “He’s got such a great vibe. My mum, my sister and I were all stoked about meeting him.”
“We really appreciated his message about students at school.
“People brush it off, telling kids they’re just tired. But problems are real, they do exist. We aren’t just being overdramatic.
“He is saying to parents ‘no, you’ve got to take care of your kids.’ ”
River is homeschooled, but attended mainstream school until recently. She said the former is much better for her wellbeing.
She’s a keen rider; so the family made a quick trip to sort some horsey needs. They said they spent only a couple of hours at Fieldays
“We just needed a riding helmet for me, some boots, and a few shirts for Dad,” she said.
But they made time for one thing extra: Mike King’s stall.
King told the family he was thrilled that the current government had been prepared to support his service, after struggling to get funding in the past.
He explains that what he does is intended to bridge a gap caused by waiting times in the current New Zealand system.
Gumboot Friday, founded by King, is a free counselling service for any young person in New Zealand aged 25 and under.
