Our mission is to save the lives of young New Zealanders.

We do this by providing Te Ao Maori based, preventative mental health resources to youth in schools across Aotearoa.

Youth mental health needs are high and increasing

1/5 kiwi students report significant psychological distress, and 1/10 report having self-harmed in the last year.

New Zealand has the highest level of youth suicide in the OECD, and depression amongst youth is rising.

Pacific students are overrepresented in mental health statistics. Over 11% of Pacific students attempted suicide in 2019.

Read the research

Tay’s Ks Annual Fundraiser

Taylor Kite was 22 when he died in 2022, leaving a lasting impact on his family, friends and wider community.

In the years since, his loved ones have channelled their grief into action through Tay’s Ks- an annual fundraising event supporting preventive youth wellbeing programmes delivered by Soul Learning Charitable Trust.

Since launching in 2022, participants have walked and run in Taylor’s honour, raising more than $30,000 for youth mental health.

Supporters from around New Zealand and overseas take part in this annual event, coinciding with the Whitianga Runfest.

Article

Tays Ks Give a Little

What we do

We operate a participatory philanthropic model alongside our program delivery partner, Soul Learning Ltd, who provides accessible Te Ao Māori-based mental health resources to secondary schools across Aotearoa.

These resources incorporate simple well-being strategies to help individuals reconnect with themselves, support mental health, and cope with the challenges of today's society.

Our surveys indicate that over 90% of young people who have enrolled in the program have experienced improvements in their well-being, with improvements across all surveyed wellness measures.

Soul Learning Trust funded access to mental health resources for over 5000 students in over 40 schools across Aotearoa.

Learn more

Our Why

Youth suicide rising

New Zealand ranks the lowest of 36 OECD countries for youth mental health, and has the highest rate of youth suicide.

UNICEF, 2024
Mental health in decline

13% of all New Zealand adults report high levels of mental distress, twice as many compared to a decade ago.

Health NZ, 2025
Youth suffer the most

23% of 15-24 year old New Zealanders report high or very high levels of psychological distress, twice that of the population average.

Health NZ, 2025
Māori need support

Māori experience the highest suicide rates in New Zealand, but also the highest level of unmet needs for professional mental health support.
Health NZ, 2025
Pacific students overepresented

Pacific students in New Zealand experience higher levels of depression, suicide ideation and attempt, and foregone healthcare compared to Pākehā students.
Youth19, 2024