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Peer Support is an important part of recovery. We provide a number of services that connect people seeking help with teams who have their own personal experiences of mental health trauma and recovery.

Piri Pono

Piri Pono

Piri Pono is a 5-bed residential, acute alternative to hospitalisation. Peer led, it is staffed with both nurses and support workers, making it a rare and special combination. Piri Pono in English means to be loyal, faithful and devoted — an allegiance. The name reflect our practice — a respite home that encourages people to pull together with a focus on independent living and building relationships.

Piri Pono is available to those experiencing extreme mental distress who have been assessed by the Rodney Adult Mental Health Services. Guests are able to stay for up to 10 days in a homelike, personalised environment with a holistic approach to wellness.

Reach Out

Reach Out

Reach Out Peer Support is a mobile service supporting people in their recovery from mental health issues. All the team have their own personal experiences of mental health trauma and recovery.

We work in partnership with those accessing the service to explore ways that will facilitate individual recovery.

We build a connection and some trust, and get the chance to collaboratively build a plan. We don’t want to spend time doing assessments, we want to focus on getting to know each other.

Recovery starts with hope…even the slightest glimmer! Recovery in Peer Support comes through seeing ourselves as people, rather than as ‘mental health patients’. It’s about building relationships where new information and knowledge can emerge and where each person can start moving towards the life they choose.

Anyone currently using Waitemata Adult Mental Health Services in the North Shore or Rodney districts can request Peer Support. Reach Out does not take referrals from clinicians but rather from a Peer self-referring to us.

Drive Consumer Network

DRIVE Consumer Direction Counties Manukau is a consumer network that represents the interests of people in the Counties Manukau District Health Board area who experience mental health issues, or problems with alcohol or other drugs.

DRIVE works to promote the consumer voice by being a link between service users and service providers, by supporting research, peer workforce development and by running hui.

DRIVE does not provide mental health or addictions services.

Contact Edith Moore. DRIVE's Senior Network Co-ordinator for more information:

Peer Employment Training

We hold an unwavering belief in the fact that people can and want to learn, grow and develop. We also believe that peer-to-peer support could be one of the greatest learning experiences in an individuals journey towards wellbeing and making sense of their own experiences of mental health and/or addictions.

Our Peer Employment Training equips people with a skill set which enables them to work alongside their peers in a range of employment settings and within a relationship that focuses on wellbeing and is based on mutual learning, empowerment and hope.

Who can use this service?

People must live in Counties Manukau and have completed a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) training.  There are no course fees for this training which runs over 11 full days.

For more information contact

Mahi Marumaru

Mahi Marumaru

Mahi Marumaru is a mobile peer service supporting people to recover from alcohol and other drug-related issues. The English translation for Mahi Marumaru is ‘many people working together’. All Peer Support Workers have their own lived experience of addiction and personal journey of recovery.

Anyone aged 18-65 living in the Counties Manukau District Health Board area is eligible for this service. We prefer self-referrals but will accept introductions from clinicians, other services and family.

Contact Mahi Marumaru’s Team Manager for more information:

Puna Whakataa

Puna Whakataa is a 10-bed, Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) respite and treatment residential service in partnership with The Salvation Army. We provide management and peer support work and The Salvation Army provide the clinicians. The English translation is ‘the spring of rest and respite’ meaning an environment created for treatment and respite.

The service is open to those who are currently engaged with a publicly funded specialist AOD service and offers up to 14 days respite to assist guests get themselves back on track while keeping connected to their community.

Peer Talk

Peer Talk

Peer Talk is a service that connects people in need of mental health support with Peer Support Workers over the phone. It is one of a number of helpline services that constitute the National Telehealth Service. It is run in collaboration with Homecare Medical. They provide all the facilities of the call centre whilst we provide Peer Support Workers to man the phones. These staff are also part of the Reach Out Peer Support Service. Peer Talk is an effective way to overcome some of the barriers that make it difficult for people to access mental health care, namely distance and cost. This free phone-based counselling service makes it easier for those in need to get help.

Peer Talk is available 7 days per week, 5pm to midnight for Counties Manukau residents