Free and low-cost mental health support in New Zealand

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Helplines: free, no referral

Hours are as listed by the Mental Health Foundation and each service; check the service's own site if you're calling outside normal hours.

Free counselling through your GP: Access and Choice

Access and Choice is a government programme that funds free, brief mental health and wellbeing support in primary care. Many GP practices have a Health Improvement Practitioner (HIP), a registered health professional who sees people for short sessions, often around 30 minutes, to work on stress, anxiety, low mood, sleep and the like. If you need more than brief support, they help you find the next step.

1. Ask your GP practice's front desk: 'Do you have a Health Improvement Practitioner or a free wellbeing service?' You usually don't need a long appointment or a referral.
2. If your practice doesn't offer it, ask who does locally. Services differ by region.
3. Search the database at wellbeingsupport.health.nz, which lists free services funded through Access and Choice.
4. Not sure where to start? Call Healthline on 0800 611 116.

Help from Work and Income with counselling costs

If you have a health condition (including a mental health condition) likely to last at least six months and you have regular costs for it that other agencies don't fully cover, you may get the Disability Allowance, which can include counselling fees and transport to counselling. You don't need to be on a benefit. As at October 2026 the maximum Disability Allowance is $82.85 a week (Work and Income, benefit rates from 1 April 2026). Income limits apply if you don't get a main benefit (for example $870 a week before tax for a single person 18 or over, $1,295.11 for a couple); check current limits on the Work and Income counselling page.

• Up to 10 sessions on a first application; more if a health practitioner recommends it.
• The counsellor must belong to an approved professional body (such as the NZ Association of Counsellors, the Psychotherapists Board of Aotearoa New Zealand or the Social Workers Registration Board) or be a registered psychologist with a current practising certificate.
• Relationship counselling not linked to the condition isn't covered.
• You need a Disability Certificate – Counselling form completed by you, your health practitioner and your counsellor.

Other low-cost options

• Community Services Card: lowers GP fees and prescription costs (check eligibility at workandincome.govt.nz).
• Culturally specific services: kaupapa Māori and Pacific services exist for mental health, alcohol and drug and gambling support. Ask your GP or search Healthpoint, or see the Māori and Pacific guides on this site.
• Digital tools: 1737 has an online chat and free e-mental-health tools are listed on the 1737 site.
• Peer support and community groups, including church, marae, sports clubs and men's sheds.

Choosing a counsellor or therapist

Fit matters more than the brand name. Ask: Are you registered or a member of a professional body? Have you worked with people dealing with job loss, anxiety, depression or whatever you're facing? How much do you charge and do you offer sliding-scale fees? It's fine to try one session and switch.