Te reo Māori mental health chatbot to reduce service barriers

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Clearhead has launched a translated te reo Māori website and chatbot designed to help reduce the barriers Māori communities often face when accessing mental health services. 

Māori populations are consistently over-represented in New Zealand’s suicide statistics, are twice as likely to experience mental health issues compared to non-Māori, and 1.5 times as likely to report experiencing anxiety or depression. 

Clearhead, a Kiwi digital mental health company, worked in partnership with nib New Zealand and nib foundation to launch the services in Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week).

In a press release, the companies claim it is a global first for any digital mental health service to support an indigenous language and say the translation, “marks an important step towards providing culturally inclusive resources to support the health and wellbeing of one of our most vulnerable communities”. 

Clearhead chief executive Angela Lim says that while Māori are disproportionately represented in the public mental health system, the resources available do not necessarily take a user-centric approach of how Māori would prefer to access these resources and support. 

“Māori make up 40 percent of patients in the public mental health system, yet only around three percent of clinical staff in the sector identify as Māori, and an even smaller number are fluent in te reo Māori. To some, te reo is a fundamental part of their identity – and yet we face significant challenges in delivering culturally appropriate services to this community,” Lim says. 

“In order to improve mental health outcomes for Māori, utilising digital solutions where we can provide anonymity, flexibility, affordability and overcome geographical barriers can be a viable solution. We hope our platform can assist in improving reach and engagement for Māori seeking mental health support and provide that safe place where they feel heard.”

Research from the Mental Health Foundation has demonstrated that a strong cultural identity – including a connection with Māoritanga and te reo within Māori communities – is linked to positive wellbeing and a reduced risk of suicide. 

Petera Hakiwai, of Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata and Kāi Tahu descent and a lecturer at Eastern Institute of Technology, was integral in operationalising the te reo Māori platform. He says Māori are very private when it comes to their health and wellbeing. 

“It’s critical that they have access to suitable support services and so having a digital, private and culturally appropriate offering available in te reo Māori is encouraging and can be really empowering,” he says. 

The development of the te reo Māori site was made possible as part of a wider $60,000 support package from nib and nib foundation, which also enabled Clearhead to offer a telehealth platform for mental health professionals to continue delivering therapy during the Covid-19 lockdown. 

Clearhead will be incorporating more Māori models of care into future platform developments. The platform is also set to introduce other tools, such as guided mindfulness sessions that will help people reconnect with whenua (land) by engaging all their senses in their wellbeing journey.

Clearhead has seen steady user increase since the Covid-19 lockdown in March. Prior to the pandemic, the platform serviced around 1,000 monthly users, which has grown to more than 8,000 in August. 

If you would like to provide feedback on this news story, please contact the editor Rebecca McBeth.

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