This year's Mental Health Awareness Week theme is Belonging Matters — the idea that connection, shown in ways big and small, is what carries people through hard times.
Sam Clarke: the courage to reach out
In 2023, Sam Clarke was on duty with the New Zealand Police Armed Offenders Squad when he responded to the Commercial Bay shooting in Auckland. A split-second decision to secure his ballistic helmet was the difference between a graze and a direct hit. He walked away physically unharmed.
He wasn't fine.
The flashbacks started after he left the police — triggered by things as ordinary as a car backfiring. For a long time, he did nothing about it.
"I remember having a conversation with myself — do I bottle this down and move on, or do I deal with this properly? I wasn't really one to talk about my feelings. So for me, reaching out was a really big step."
Sam ended up seeing a professional nearly every week for a year. Looking back, he says that without taking that first step, he never would have given himself the chance to actually process what happened.
Dr Lucy Hone: resilience is built before you need it
Ask resilience researcher Dr Lucy Hone about belonging, and she goes straight to the Christchurch earthquakes. In the chaos that followed, it was belonging — the sense that everyone was in it together — that kept the city going. Someone had a generator. Someone fixed up a shower. Everyone who couldn't get to their own jobs turned to nurturing and supporting the people working round the clock.
"You don't build your resilience at 1:20pm, or whenever that first earthquake was, at 4:20am. You have to build it beforehand."
Her point isn't about grand gestures. It's built in hundreds of small moments — the connections made in the good times, long before a crisis ever arrives. As she puts it: sometimes belonging is just the person who gives you a hug, or waits for you. You're the corner of the street, waiting for your bus to come home.
Jehan Casinader: three things that actually help
Broadcaster Jehan Casinader has spoken openly about experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts — and about the friends who helped him through it. Not with grand gestures. With three simple things, done consistently.
"They held up a mirror and reminded me who I was."
First, they showed up — even when they doubted whether they were the right person to. Second, they stayed consistent, because a flurry of messages followed by a month of silence does more harm than good. Third, they reminded him who he was, because in the dark, it's easy to lose your sense of identity.
As Jehan puts it: when we're brave enough to step into those messy, awkward, uncomfortable places with the people we love, we help them retain a sense of connection and belonging — even when life is pretty tough.
Jase Te Patu: the power of staying quiet
Wellbeing speaker Jase Te Patu carries a piece of advice from his mentor that's shaped how he shows up for people ever since.
"Listen and silent have the same letters."
Jase practices staying quiet so others can be heard — not because he doesn't have something to say, but because that's where the real insight comes from, for the person speaking and for him listening. With over 30 years bridging Western science and Te Ao Māori wellbeing practices, his approach to belonging is disarmingly simple: sometimes the most powerful thing you can offer someone is your full attention.
Ben Purua: the person who believed in him first
Before Ben Purua became the man he is today, he was carrying shame from his past — questioning whether he was even capable of becoming better.
"She saw something in me that at the time I couldn't see in myself."
The person who changed that was his wife, Nikki. She didn't ignore where he'd come from. But she didn't let it define where he could go, either. She kept reminding him of what he had to offer, until he finally believed it himself — and encouraged him to share his story and use his own experience to help others find their way, the same way she helped him find his.
As Ben puts it: sometimes all it takes is one person to see potential in you, and keep reminding you until you finally see it for yourself.
Watch their stories
Each of these speakers shared their story on camera, in their own words. Reading a quote is one thing — hearing it is another.
Watch the full stories on our YouTube channel
In the lead-up to Mental Health Awareness Week, we'll keep sharing more of these stories. If one of these speakers is the right fit for your event, team or conference, get in touch — we'd love to help you find the right voice for it.
