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Te Whare Marie Specialist Māori Mental Health Service

Nga taonga o Te Whare Marie
Ko te Whakapono
Ko te Tumanako
Ko te ArohaKi nga tangata katoa

We are a specialist kaupapa Māori mental health service.

We provide the same care as mainstream mental health services, complemented by Māori cultural concepts and pathways of health.

If you have come to this page because you are concerned about someone else, please let them know about our service, or contact Te Haika, our 24/7 mental health and addiction contact centre.

Who our service is for

Our service is for anyone who identifies as Māori and is experiencing mental illness, who lives in Wellington, Porirua or Kāpiti and wants to engage in a cultural and clinical pathway of healing.

We have two teams:

  • Tamariki, rangatahi me o ratou whānau (0 to 19 years old)
  • Pakeke me kaumatua whānau (20 to 65 years).

If you identify as Māori and contact Te Haika, our mental health contact centre, or someone else such as your GP or public health nurse contacts Te Haika on your behalf, you will usually be referred to us.

How to access our service

All referrals should go through Te Haika, our 24/7 contact centre.

It’s best you are referred by your GP because they know you and understand your health. However, you can contact Te Haika yourself if you prefer to.

We are not a crisis service. If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs urgent help, please contact Te Haika first.

What you can expect if you use our service

Read our brochure here.

The information below applies to both our adult clients (aged 20 to 65 years old) and child clients (0 to 19 years). If you have a child or adolescent in our service you will be expected to liaise with us on behalf of your child.

Once we receive your referral we will arrange a time to meet with you and carry out a Hui Whakatau (therapeutic conversation). This usually takes about 60 to 90 minutes. You can come to see us at Te Whare Marie or an alternative community base.

If we agree that we are the service best placed to help you and you agree, we will develop a plan outlining the care and treatment you require. We encourage you and your whānau to take part in developing the plan.

If we agree we are not the best service for you we will provide you with information about other services that may help you. If you are worried about your cultural needs being met and things being done in a Hauora way, we can give you advice about other services you can use on these issues.

We use Māori interventions in a therapeutic environment, which utilises a strengths-based approach that helps many of our tangata whaiora achieve their aspirations.

We continuously work to include whānau in sustainable recovery from mental illness, combining Māori cultural concepts with western clinical models of mental health care.


Who we are and the care we provide

Our whānau includes administrators, Kaumatua, a cultural therapist, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, a child psychotherapist, an occupational therapist, nurses, a support worker and a consumer advisor.

To provide tools for people to better manage stress and mitigate their problems,we promote the use of cultural practices and frameworks to empower individuals and whānau who enter our service. These are used alongside clinical interventions including but not limited to:

  • cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
  • dialectal behaviour therapy (DBT)
  • acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
  • eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR)..
We provide tautoko (support) and education with understanding and managing an individual’s journey to recovery.

How to contact us

Initial contact with us should come through Te Haika, our 24/7 mental health and addiction contact centre. If you have already been referred to our service, please use the contact details below.

We are open 8.30am until 5pm Monday to Friday (closed public holidays).

  • Phone: 0800 300 184
                 04 230 6322
             
  • Address: 30 Kenepuru Drive, Puketiro Centre, Porirua.

There is a large car park outside the centre.

 

Last updated 10 September 2021.