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Download AudioHui Tāne 2025, led by Hone Harawira, is a national Māori men’s mental health and wellbeing conference that aims to restore cultural connection, resilience, and collective strength among tāne Māori through tikanga-based workshops, kōrero, and intergenerational support. It finishes up today. Māori men are increasingly finding the courage to speak out about their mental health-but many still struggle in silence. Across Aotearoa, Māori men face higher rates of depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide than the general population. For decades, the stigma of “kia kaha, don’t cry” has silenced generations of tāne Māori. But a new movement is growing-one rooted in whakapapa, whanaungatanga, and healing.
Statistics from Te Whatu Ora and the Mental Health Foundation show that Māori men are more likely than non-Māori to experience mental distress and three times more likely to die by suicide. Young Māori males, in particular, are at significant risk, especially in rural areas and among those disconnected from whānau or cultural identity.
Dr Eruera Rerekura (Ngāti Raukawa), a Māori mental health specialist, says systemic inequities, racism, poverty, and intergenerational trauma all play a role. “We can’t talk about Māori men’s mental health without talking about colonisation, imprisonment, disconnection from whenua, and the breakdown of whānau structures.”
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