Te Whare Mārie — Māori mental health service

If you have already been referred to our service, you can contact us by:

• free phone: 0800 300 184
• phone: 04 230 6322

We are open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm. We are closed public holidays.

We are located at:

Puketiro Centre
30 Kenepuru Drive
Porirua.

There is a large car park outside the centre.

We can also see you at the other locations below.   

Wellington city:

Adelaide Road Clinic
Level 2, 113 Adelaide Road
Newtown

Te Whare Tipu – Hania Street Clinic
21 Hania Street
Mount Victoria

Kapiti:

Kapiti Health Centre
35 Warrimoo Street
Paraparaumu

Our service is for anyone with Māori whakapapa who would like to receive support and treatment based in Te Aō Māori. This might include things like:

• use of karakia
• access to cultural supports such as kaumātua
• wairua support for spiritual wellbeing.

We provide the same care as mainstream mental health services, but it is complemented by Māori cultural concepts and pathways to health.

If you identify as Māori and want to be seen by our services for mental health problems, you will usually be referred to us.

We have 2 teams:

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

Services we provide

Our whānau includes:

• a cultural therapist — kaituku haumanu ā-ahurea
• a child psychotherapist — kaituku haumanu hinengaro
• kaumātua
• nurses — nēhi
• an occupational therapist — kaiwhakaora ngangahau
• psychologists — kaimātai hauora hinengaro
• psychiatrists — tākuta hauora hinengaro
• social workers — tauwhiro
• a support worker — kaitautoko.

We provide tools to help people better manage stress and mental health problems. This includes the use of cultural practices to support people's recovery. These are used alongside mainstream therapies depending on your needs but may include:

• cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• dialectal behaviour therapy (DBT)
• acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
• eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR).

We provide tautoko and education to help you manage your recovery.

What to expect from our service

The information on this page applies to both adults and tamariki. If you have a tamaiti or rangatahi using our service, you will need to liaise with us on their behalf.

Once we receive your referral, we will arrange a time to meet with you for a hui whakatau (therapeutic conversation). This usually takes about 60 to 90 minutes. You can come to see us at Te Whare Marie or at another place in the community.

If we agree that we are the service best placed to help you, we will develop a care and treatment plan with you. 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. This can include other hauora services that can meet your cultural needs.

We encourage you first to talk to your GP or other healthcare provider about your mental health as a first step to getting support. They are likely to be able to treat you. 

They can refer you to us if you need specialist mental health or addiction treatment.