Guide for Schools

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Mental Health Awareness Week starts on day one of Term 4. Start your planning now!

Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 is all about the power of belonging - and for kura/schools, early childhood centres and tertiary communities, that message matters every day.

We all deserve to feel like we belong. When young people feel included, seen and valued, they are better placed to learn, connect with others and take part in school life. Research shows that experiences of exclusion can negatively affect wellbeing, increasing feelings of loneliness, stress and emotional distress.

That’s why schools and learning settings have such an important role to play. A strong sense of belonging helps tauira/students feel safe, supported and connected to the people and places around them.

Start a conversation

Mental Health Awareness Week is a great opportunity to reflect on what belonging at your school looks like. You might like to pose these questions at a staff meeting, or write about them in your school newsletter:

• What does belonging look like at our kura?
• What sense of belonging does our community/neighbourhood feel they have to our kura?
• What sort of welcome do visitors and parents/caregivers receive when they come here?
• How do our tauira see themselves reflected in the spaces and places around our school?
• What events are on our school calendar that highlight diversity and inclusion and make our students feel that they belong? e.g. Matariki, Diwali, Pink Shirt Day, Schools’ Pride Week?

Spread the message

There are plenty of ways to help share the kaupapa, and remind your school community that belonging matters.

• Order a free Event Pack while stocks last, or download our posters and display them around your kura or campus.
• Add an item in your newsletter. Here’s some copy to get you started:
  At [insert name of school/institute] we know how important it is that our students and staff feel they belong, which is why we’re excited to take part in Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 (12-18 October). This year’s theme is Belonging Matters. We’ll be marking the week by celebrating the small, everyday moments that create connections and build a stronger, more inclusive school.
• Download a Mental Health Awareness Week social media sticker from our website. Add your own photo that celebrates belonging at your kura and share it on your social channels. When you share content, be sure to tag us @mhfnz, and use #mhawnz.
• Use the InCommon Belonging Calendar exercise to identify the cultural dates that matter most to your staff, students and community and ensure these significant events are part of your school calendar every year.

Classroom activities

Use Mental Health Awareness Week as a reason to start important kōrero with your tauira about the power of belonging. Here are some ideas:

• Create a class agreement around what belonging looks and feels like in the classroom.
• End the day with a reflection: Who helped you feel like you belonged today?
• Make sure every new student has a buddy.
• Create a ‘Belonging Box’ where students can anonymously share ideas for making school more welcoming.
• Create an ‘Our Community’ display featuring families, cultures, and places that are important to students.

We also have lots of free resources and activities you can download here.

• Kōrero cards – use the printed set in the 2026 Event Pack or download your own
• Bingo – we have versions for tamariki and older rangatahi to discover what they have in common with their classmates.
• Tamariki quiz – for students to use one-to-one to better understand a classmate.
• Mindful colouring – print and create space for people to pause, relax and get creative.

The Ministry of Education agrees students learn best when they feel welcomed, valued, supported, and connected to others. It encourages schools to foster belonging by creating opportunities to learn that connect with students' lives, interests, cultures, and experiences, while also building strong partnerships with families, whānau, and communities. When students feel seen, heard, and included, they are better able to thrive both academically and personally.

Let's create schools where everyone belongs

Belonging isn't built through one big gesture. It's created through small, everyday actions that help people feel welcome, valued, and connected.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, join us in celebrating the moments that bring us together and help make our schools places where everyone can belong.