Webinars offer families help with mental illness

Expressions of interest are being sought for steering group membership to guide the development of Te

hanga Rautaki Whānui o Te Tai Tokerau, the Northland Regional Economic Development Strategy.

The co-designed and Te Tiriti o Waitangi-based strategy will be intergenerational and developed in partnership with iwi and hāpu, communities and industry sectors alongside local and central government.

The regional economic development agency Northland Inc chairperson Nicole Anderson says the strategy will provide a growth platform for Te Tai Tokerau that is forward thinking, sustainable and ensures shared prosperity for all. It will also build on the learnings from the Tai Tokerau Northland Economic Action Plan.

‘‘Te hanga Rautaki Whānui o Te Tai Tokerau will address issues such as productivity, value-add opportunities for the primary sector and climate change to effect transformational change and better economic outcomes for whānau in our region,’’ she says.

Iwi chairperson Harry Burkhardt says the intention of Te

hanga Rautaki Whānui o Te Tai Tokerau is to build on those notions in he tangata, he whenua, he oranga, which ensure everyone can see themselves in it while ensuring relationships and resources are connected to its success.

‘‘The steering group will provide thought leadership to drive the priorities, actions and success of the strategy. As such, we’re looking for a wide range of representatives for our region, who have the mana, experience and influence to generate positive changes and investments for Te Tai Tokerau,’’ he says.

The strength of the steering group will be their passion, their skills and their lived experiences collaborating to reflect the aspirations of our region, and those of our tupuna in He Whakaputanga me Te Tiriti o Waitangi,’’ Burkhardt said.

Expressions of interest to join the Te hanga Rautaki Whānui o Te Tai Tokerau steering group are now open. The application form and further information on the strategy and the steering group are available at www.northlandnz.com/rautaki. Applications close at 5pm, on Thursday, April 14.

Families struggling to support those with mental illness are being offered help through a series of online webinars.

The Wellbeing Webinar series are the work of mental health service Yellow Brick Road.

It is designed to give families useful tools for coping in the wake of increased stress from Covid outbreaks.

Yellow Brick Road is a charity supporting the family members of people with mental health challenges.

Chief operations officer John Moore says there are a lot of people struggling right now with the impact of Covid-19 on mental health, or with any number of mental health issues, and the families are often the ‘‘unsung heroes’’ in a person’s journey to wellbeing.

‘‘It’s no surprise that there are a lot of people in need of support,’’ says Moore.

‘‘Getting out to appointments is difficult if people need to isolate, and actually not possible for many people, whether they are more vulnerable or just prefer to stay home right now.

‘‘Now more than ever, we need to get out there and share some of the tips and ideas we would normally share directly with families face-to-face or over the phone. The webinars allow us to reach a very large number of participants in comfort and safety.’’

‘‘It’s no surprise that there are a lot of people in need of support.’’ John Moore Yellow Brick Road chief operations officer

The series includes a range of topics from coping with emotions, to mindfulness, setting boundaries for relationships with an unwell family member, through to understanding the behaviours associated with borderline personality disorders. Facilitators present information and tips and then respond to questions that participants can message through anonymously.

‘‘It is widely acknowledged that a family member’s support for someone with mental illness is one of the most important contributors to a person’s return to wellbeing,’’ says Moore.

‘‘But many people understandably feel overwhelmed as to what they should do when faced with the challenge of helping someone they care about.

‘‘Hopefully there are a few useful tools people can take away from these free seminars.’’

Each of the four webinars will be delivered twice, via Zoom. Once as a live Zoom and then as a replay, both with trained family/whānau support workers to respond to questions.

■ The simple guide to setting boundaries This webinar helps you know what your own boundaries and limits are when you are supporting someone you care about. You will learn when to say ‘‘āe’’ and when to say

‘‘kāhore’’ (yes and no) – because you can’t do everything! Wed, April 13, 7pm, Thurs, April 14, 1pm

■ Big Feelings – coping with distressing emotions This webinar teaches you ways to support your family/whānau member so they manage and cope more effectively with difficult emotions. Wed, April 20, 7pm, Thurs, April 21, 1pm

■ Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder

Understanding BPD is important

Ō

to enable you to show compassion and ¯ support if your

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family member is struggling with it. This is part one of a two-part webinar that will explain what is going on for them and how you can support them better. Wed, April 27, 7pm, Thurs, April 28,

1pm