New Zealand Music Foundation's Wellbeing Service

Culture Wed Nov 2 2016 by Beth Mackinnon

The New Zealand Music Foundation just launched its Wellbeing Service. The Service's mission is to provide support to members of the New Zealand music industry during times of illness, hardship and distress.

The forward-thinking programme offers 24-hour phone, online and in-person counselling for those working in the music industry who are experiencing physical, mental or emotional distress. Better yet, it is not open solely to performers, but to all people involved in the making of music (from crew, to managers, to support staff).

The Wellbeing Service was born out of the results of the New Zealand Music Community Wellbeing Survey, which was conducted by the charity in July and saw some disheartening results. Initial survey results showed musicians in New Zealand experiencing health and wellbeing distress and higher incidence rates far greater than the general population.

The survey disturbingly reported that songwriters, composers and performers attempted suicide at a rate double than that of the general population. Furthermore, over a third of songwriters, composers and performers reported having been diagnosed with a mental health disorder. This is almost double the incidence rate of the general population.

The Wellbeing Service is entirely free and can be accessed here.

Watch the below video for more info:

Image: Getty

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