Top Up Together during Mental Health Awareness Week 2025
This year, Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) has been aligned with Top Up - the nationwide wellbeing campaign. The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 is Top Up Together - encouraging you to connect with others as you bring the Five Ways to Wellbeing into your daily life.
This year, we're shining a light on the collective aspect of the Top Up campaign, as recent research shows that a shared, community-based approach to wellbeing delivers the most sustained, long-term benefits.
Social connection is crucial for our wellbeing. It brings purpose and a sense of belonging to our lives, helps us feel valued, and makes us happier and more secure. Evidence shows that activities involving social interaction matter. Actions like volunteering, shared learning, physical activity, cultural practices, and community events consistently have a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing.
Look after your oranga by topping up together with the Five Ways to Wellbeing this Mental Health Awareness Week (6th to 12th October).
- Me aro tonu | Take Notice.
- Tukua | Give.
- Me kori tonu | Be Active.
- Me whakawhanaunga | Connect.
- Me ako tonu | Keep Learning.
Find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week, including events and resources.
Welcome to Waka Toa Ora
Waka Toa Ora is a Canterbury DHB-led inter-sectoral collaborative partnership in the Canterbury region. The partnership is based on the WHO Healthy Cities model, and was previously known as Healthy Christchurch.
The key theme of initiative is that all sectors and groups have a role to play in creating a healthy Canterbury, whatever their specific focus (recreation, employment, youth, environmental enhancement, transport, housing or another aspect of health or wellbeing).
This inter-sectoral initiative fosters collaboration between organisations who have signed the Waka Toa Ora Charter.
Read the Waka Toa Ora Charter - updated July 2019.
The new name Waka Toa Ora communicates that we are all in a waka together. We are rowing in the same direction and navigating the many dimensions of wellbeing (physical, social, spiritual, and mental and emotional — hau ora, wai ora, mauri ora, toi ora). We are stronger navigating the regional landscape together.
There are currently over 200 charter signatories to the Waka Toa Ora Charter, including government agencies, businesses, voluntary sector groups, networks and residents’ associations. The organisations involved reflect a diverse focus and cover many aspects of health and wellbeing.
