Responding differently: Hāpai Mauri Tāngata
A mental health or addiction crisis is often the most vulnerable moment in a person’s life. How we respond can shape not only what happens next, but how whānau seek help in the future.
Hāpai Mauri Tāngata is a community first mental health and addiction crisis prototype exploring what’s possible when care, connection, and collaboration sit at the heart of crisis response. A partnership with New Zealand Police, Balance Aotearoa, and Whanganui Community Living Trust, Hāpai brings together clinical expertise, lived experience, and community knowledge to provide timely, compassionate, whānau centred support.
Police are often the first to arrive when someone is in crisis but not every situation requires enforcement. Hāpai can be engaged early to work alongside whānau, understanding what’s happening and identify what is needed. This can help prevent unnecessary arrests and emergency department presentations, connect whānau with the right care at the right time, and build trusted support networks that reduce future crises.
Responding differently takes many forms.
Whānau being met by a clinician and a whānau navigator instead of emergency services turning up.
Practical tools that help someone recognise the early signs of distress before they reach crisis point.
Grounding exercises, breathing techniques, or karakia that whānau can return to when they need them most.
Providing resources within Police custody, acknowledging that even in difficult circumstances, moments of care and connection matter.
Together these approaches offer a more compassionate, whānau centred, practical response.
Systems change happens through relationships, and a significant outcome of this prototype are the relationships between frontline Police and the Hāpai team. As trust has grown, officers are increasingly contacting Hāpai earlier, recognising the value of a whānau led response alongside their own role. These everyday decisions reflect a wider shift in how communities respond to distress. System change can begin with trusted relationships, shared purpose, and a willingness to try something different.
Healthy Families Whanganui Rangitīkei Ruapehu has supported the design and development of Hāpai alongside partners, whānau and kaimahi, capturing experiences and insights to understand what’s working, identify barriers and guide future development. Through listening, learning, and adapting together, we’re helping shape a model that can become part of an integrated mental health and addiction support system for our community.
One example is the Hāpai Te Mauri support kits, designed to help people navigate difficult moments and feel more prepared for what comes next. These include a booklet for whānau to work through that helps them recognise early warning signs, a personalised pocket prevention tool, calming sensory items, grounding exercises, and reflections that reconnect people with their strengths and supports.
Because responding differently isn’t just about getting through today’s crisis. It’s about helping someone feel more prepared for tomorrow.
He tangata āhua rau, he mana motuhake. Hapaitia kia puawai.
Every person is multifaceted, each with their own uniqueness. Raise them up and watch them flourish.