Health – Major new workplace mental health awards programme launched

Source: Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand

HeadFit in association with charity partner the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand are proud to announce the launch of the HeadFit Awards.

The awards are New Zealand’s first national workplace mental health awards programme. They were established to celebrate individuals, teams and workplaces who are leading in the area of workplace mental health and have three primary goals:

·         raising awareness of the critical role workplaces can play to support positive mental health for staff

·         showcasing the work of winners and finalists to inspire and support other workplaces

·         supporting the Mental Health Foundation as they work to improve mental health for all New Zealanders

“The workplace isn’t the final frontier for better mental health, it is the first frontier. We all have a role to play. The HeadFit Awards are here to recognise Kiwi trailblazers and share their insights with other workplaces,” says awards convenor Grant Pritchard.

 

Awards and entries

The awards comprise 16 awards categories split into three divisions. The awards are open to all workplaces and staff located in New Zealand, including public and private sector organisations of any type, industry or size. Entry is free and entries can be submitted via the awards website at https://www.headfitawards.org/. Entries are open now and close on Friday, 9 July 2021. For more information, see the awards website.

Finalists will be announced in early August, and winners will be announced during Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 on the evening of 29 September at a charity gala dinner and awards ceremony. Tickets to the gala dinner and awards ceremony will be available to purchase from the date on which the finalists are announced.

 

Sponsors 
The HeadFit Awards 2021 are proudly brought to you by Principal Sponsor WorkSafe, and sponsors AIA, Ember Innovations, Ministry of Health, Russell McVeagh, Spark, Woo Wellbeing and Xero. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available, and we’ll progressively announce the remaining sponsors as they are confirmed.

WorkSafe Chief Executive Phil Parkes says “We are thrilled to be supporting this important national event. Mental health in the workplace is incredibly important. WorkSafe is delighted to be supporting this important event which will recognise good initiatives. “The awards also provide an opportunity for businesses to use insights and best-practice examples from the winners and finalists to accelerate the pace of positive change in workplace mental health across Aotearoa.”

Charity partnership
The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand has also been named charity partner for the awards. “We are pleased to announce that the Mental Health Foundation is our charity partner for the awards. We’re excited that the awards will be able to support the Mental Health Foundation’s important work to create a more mentally-healthy future for all New Zealanders,” says Pritchard.

Mental Health Foundation CEO Shaun Robinson adds “This stuff matters. All businesses need to prioritise the wellbeing of workers by implementing mana-enhancing policy. We can’t wait to see the nominations rolling in for the HeadFit Awards and look forward to learning more about the great work that we know is happening in Kiwi workplaces.”

 

Awards categories
The 16 awards categories are grouped into Individual, Programme and Excellence and Workplace divisions:

Individual Awards

–       Specialist of the Year

–       Employee of the Year

–       Lived Experience Leadership

–       Leader of the Year

–       Legend Award for Lifetime Achievement

Programme and Excellence Awards

–       Best Emerging Programme

–       Best Targeted Programme

–       Neurodiversity & Inclusion Leadership

–       Technology & Innovation Excellence

–       Learning & Development Excellence

–       Engagement & Communication Excellence

Workplace Awards

–       Provider of the Year

–       Small Workplace of the Year

–       Large Workplace of the Year

–       Public Sector Workplace of the Year

–       Supreme Award

About HeadFit
HeadFit provides training, development and consulting services to New Zealand workplaces. HeadFit was created to help workplaces take a fresh look at how they do mental health at work. Because if we can change how we do mental health at work, we can change the world.

 

About the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand
Mental Health Foundation is New Zealand’s leading mental health charity. It provides resources, information, advocacy and programmes aimed at helping to create a society that is free from discrimination, where all people enjoy positive mental health & wellbeing.