About Building Wellness

Our Vision

A caring and inclusive construction sector that safeguards the mental wellbeing of the whole person

Our Purpose

To change the conversation around mental wellbeing in construction and shift the culture to improve the wellbeing of our people.

Our Mission

An industry-led initiative that helps workers, leaders, businesses, and families in the construction community to support their own wellbeing and that of others, so as to reduce the number of people we lose to suicide every year. BWT offers the construction community opportunities to build knowledge and capabilities around mental fitness, and get relevant training, support, and safety nets, to be well in all aspects of life, including home and work life.

Ngā Uaratanga - Our values

Inclusivity

None of our people need to face their challenges alone

Respect

We build and lift the mana of our people

Advocacy

Our concern for the wellbeing of others drives us to speak up

Partnership

We support our people to help each other

Together, we can make a difference

Since Building Wellness launched in 2021, we’ve been chasing one radical goal –to change the conversations around mental wellbeing in the construction sector, so as to improve the wellbeing of our people and reduce the number of people we lose to suicide each year. And while the construction sector has the highest rates of suicide, we’re hopeful.

Building Wellness has quickly developed a comprehensive evidence-based programme that supports mental health and mental fitness across construction and trades workplaces.

It has been as much a culture change initiative as it’s been one that encourages people to care, ask for help, and support others. Building Wellness aims to elevate and open up conversations around mental health and challenge stereotypes around mental distress and sharing vulnerability.

We make progress everyday thanks to the help of local partners and generous supporters. With strength in numbers, we believe everyone will have access to resources to be well and overcome life’s challenges within our lifetime.

Numbers talk

gained the support of local organistions

buddies & leaders trained in level 1

attendees at Tools to Talk sessions

trained industry Mentor Mates

The pou/pillars of Building Wellness

These five pou represent the key areas of our organisation

Train and provide a primary network of buddies within the construction sector workforce, as key enablers of normalizing conversations around mental health.

Work with the health sector to build a secondary support network of professionals, so that our primary network can connect our people to appropriate support pathways.

Raise awareness by forming a community of best practice where construction professionals can learn and share knowledge about wellbeing, and how to build a culture that acknowledges and fosters it.

Create a network of mentors who can help coach struggling construction workers to overcome some of the workplace pressures, whilst focusing on wellness.

Provide advocacy on government policy, client/public perception, whilst lobbying for industry leaders to act as role models for a better culture within the construction sector.

Our Team

Our volunteer board of trustees work together on strategic development for Building Wellness Taranaki and ensures the Trust remains accountable. As leaders within the construction community, our trustees “walk the talk” when it comes to role modelling best practice within their own organisations.