September 17, 2020
Gumboot Day gets $10m pledge
New Zealand First has pledged to support Mike King’s Gumboot Friday initiative with $10 million over three years to cover administration costs and some of its counseling budget.
Last year it funded counseling sessions for almost 4000 children and young people who sought help for mental health or other challenges.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says Gumboot Friday, which young people can reach out to online, is geared up for rapid action.
"I’m seriously impressed with that because it means, when they call it gumboot, it's on the ground activity. It's not bureaucratised. People don't go on a waiting list to be attended to. It's a small amount to pay when you consider 173 people committed suicide last year, 3000 more attempted suicide," he says.
Mr Peters says schools don’t have the resources to fully meet the need for counseling, and in many cases young people want to avoid the stigma and judgment by peers sometimes associated with school based counseling.
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