Mō ngā awa te aroha, he waiaroha — For the love of rivers
The Awa Aroha Fund provides mental health support to people affected by a fatal or near-fatal incident on the river. It is there to make sure that when the worst happens, our river whānau can reach professional help quickly, fairly, and wherever they live.
The “Tongariro Waterpark” with James Judd, Lucy Waldin, and Brooke Carpenter. Photo by Sean Julian McConnachie
After a hard period for our community, with several fatal incidents on the river, it became clear that the people caught up in these events did not have fair or timely access to counselling and support. The need exists across every outdoor sport, but awareness, access and funding are inconsistent and depend too much on where you live and what happens to be available locally.
Right now, those directly involved in an incident can access Victim Support in the first 24 to 48 hours. After that, they go through their GP for a referral to a small number of sessions with a mental health professional, and that process can take up to six months. That leaves a long gap when people may have no support at all.
The Awa Aroha Fund bridges that gap.
This is not a long-term solution. It is a bridge to the publicly funded services available to those eligible for New Zealand public healthcare.
We will initially provide funding of up to $2,000 per incident to facilitate a group debrief session with a professional. At the end of that session, the group and the support person decide together how best to use the rest of the funding for that incident, and explore other avenues for ongoing support where it is needed.
Further support may include additional group sessions, or one-to-one support where appropriate.
To be eligible, you need to meet all of the following:
Or, the Whitewater NZ board has agreed to support you at its discretion.
You are not eligible if:
You do not need to be a current member of Whitewater NZ to receive this support. We believe it is right to support everyone who may be involved in an incident, and our charity status lets us do this without conflicting with our constitution.
A representative of the group seeking support contacts a member of the Whitewater NZ board at president@whitewater.nz to let us know an incident has occurred.
From there, those seeking support choose their own accredited provider. Whitewater NZ will share a list of providers who have been vetted for their suitability and experience supporting people after traumatic events, located across Aotearoa. We can facilitate booking the initial meeting. Any further support should be arranged directly by those receiving it.
Whitewater paddle craft activities means non-motorised activities, including whitewater kayaking, whitewater rafting, packrafting, whitewater SUP, and River Bugs. It does not include motorised vessels.
