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Research Success Stories

Whau Bush

Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai – nurture the seed and it will bloom

Whau Foundation helps to address gaps in knowledge and service delivery by funding innovative research. Our work focuses on evidence-based practices and developing effective interventions. 

We’ve funded over 180 research projects across Aotearoa, driving advancements in understanding and addressing mental health challenges faced by New Zealanders.

We prioritise finding out what actually works in mental health care, ensuring that our initiatives are grounded in research and real-world outcomes.

Here you can explore research projects supported by Whau Mental Health Research Foundation across our 57 years of operating:

Featured Success Stories

The Gauging Risk and Resilience in Teenagers (GRIT) Study

The Gauging Risk and Resilience in Teenagers (GRIT) Study

Researcher(s)

Dr Samantha Lee

Child and Youth Mental Health

Text based support following a suicide attempt

Text based support following a suicide attempt

Researcher(s)

Dr Lillian Ng

Tech and Digital Suicide Prevention

Understanding the relationship between alcohol and suicide in New Zealand

Understanding the relationship between alcohol and suicide in New Zealand

Researcher(s)

Dr Rose Crossin

Addiction Suicide Prevention

Queer and Transgender Experiences of Accessing Mental Health Support

Queer and Transgender Experiences of Accessing Mental Health Support

Researcher(s)

Gloria Fraser

Health Services and Delivery LGBTQ+ Mental Health

Help now for self-harm: development of an app for young people.

Development of a new generation e-therapy for young people with mild to moderate depression.

Researcher(s)

Dr Karolina Stasiak

Depression Suicide Prevention Tech and Digital

Autism Spectrum Disorder and psychiatric conditions: what’s the genetic overlap in our New Zealand Youth

Autism Spectrum Disorder and psychiatric conditions: what’s the genetic overlap in our New Zealand Youth

Researcher(s)

Dr Jessie Jacobsen

Suicide Prevention Neurodevelopmental/Neurodiversity Biological

Effect of methamphetamine (“P”) addiction neural structure and function, and the potential methylphenidate in treatment.

Effect of methamphetamine (“P”) addiction neural structure and function, and the potential methylphenidate in treatment.

Researcher(s)

Dr Bruce Russell

Treatment Approaches Biological

Māori Adaption of a brief intervention for common mental health syndromes in primary care

Research into disparities in contact with mental health services between Māori and non-Māori.

Researcher(s)

Ms Fiona Mathieson

Primary Healthcare Intervention

Studying the patterns of brain proteins in parts of the normal human brain compared with the proteins expressed in equivalent brain regions of patients with schizophrenia.

Studying the patterns of brain proteins in parts of the normal human brain compared with the proteins expressed in equivalent brain regions of patients with schizophrenia.

Researcher(s)

Dr Cooper, Dr Kydd and Dr Faull

Schizophrenia

Supporting kiwi veterans’ mental wellbeing

Supporting kiwi veterans’ mental wellbeing

Researcher(s)

Professor David McBride

Occupational Mental Health Prevention and Promotion

Circulating microRNA as stable biomarkers of anxiety and depression

Circulating microRNA as stable biomarkers of anxiety and depression

Researcher(s)

Professor Bruce Russell

Depression Biological

Mental health in young people with brain injury: a population-level perspective on service need and access

Mental health in young people with brain injury: a population-level perspective on service need and access

Researcher(s)

Dr Rebecca Slykerman

Population Mental Health

MindKiwi: online Mindfulness Treatment for Children and families with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand

MindKiwi: online Mindfulness Treatment for Children and families with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand

Researcher(s)

Dr Mairin Taylor

Treatment Approaches Neurodevelopmental/Neurodiversity Tech and Digital

Supporting Aotearoa Rangatahi to Thrive in a Media Saturated World

Supporting Aotearoa Rangatahi to Thrive in a Media Saturated World

Researcher(s)

Dr Cara Swit

Media

Risk factors, protective factors, and school absenteeism – a potential early indicator of self-harm and suicidal behaviours in adolescents

Risk factors, protective factors, and school absenteeism – a potential early indicator of self-harm and suicidal behaviours in adolescents

Researcher(s)

Dr Irene Zeng

Suicide Prevention Primary Healthcare

The stories behind the statistics: understanding experiences of living with diabetes using a mental health and equity lens

The stories behind the statistics: understanding experiences of living with diabetes using a mental health and equity lens

Researcher(s)

Associate Professor Maria Stubbe

Ageing among Persons with Schizophrenia:a comprehensive interRAI study.

Ageing among Persons with Schizophrenia: a comprehensive interRAI study.

Researcher(s)

Associate Professor Yoram Barak

Old Age Psychiatry Neurocognitive Disorders

Separating differences in Personality and Mood using Neuroimaging

Separating differences in Personality and Mood using Neuroimaging

Researcher(s)

Associate Professor Bruce Russell

Mood Disorders

Neuroinflammation as a potential therapeutic target for mood symptomatology in Huntington’s disease

Neuroinflammation as a potential therapeutic target for mood symptomatology in Huntington’s disease

Researcher(s)

Dr Andrea Kwakowsky

Huntington’s Disease

Fostering Flourishing Youth in Aotearoa

Fostering Flourishing Youth in Aotearoa

Researcher(s)

Dr Sarah Hetrick

Health Services and Delivery Primary Healthcare

Efficacy, acceptability, and feasibility of the CALM psychoeducational programme for New Zealand children and families affected by anxiety

Efficacy, acceptability, and feasibility of the CALM psychoeducational programme for New Zealand children and families affected by anxiety

Researcher(s)

Dr Rachael Pond

Child and Youth Mental Health Tech and Digital

A randomised controlled pilot study of ketamine-assisted therapy

A randomised controlled pilot study of ketamine-assisted therapy

Researcher(s)

Dr Nicholas Hoeh

Treatment Approaches Biological

What becomes of the broken-hearted? Voices of suicidal survivors of family violence

What becomes of the broken-hearted? Voices of suicidal survivors of family violence

Researcher(s)

Emily Cooney

Child and Youth Mental Health Health Services and Delivery

Sharing Hope: Co-creating Understandings of What Gives Young People Hope

Sharing Hope: Co-creating Understandings of What Gives Young People Hope

Researcher(s)

Dr Janet Spittlehouse

Health Services and Delivery

RASNZ COVID-19 Study

RASNZ COVID-19 Study

Researcher(s)

Dr Annette Mortensen

The use of telepsychiatry during COVID-19

The use of telepsychiatry during COVID-19

Researcher(s)

Dr Gary Cheung

Health Services and Delivery Tech and Digital

Understanding the changes in patterns of demand for national helpline crisis services and their responses during COVID19

Understanding the changes in patterns of demand for national helpline crisis services and their responses during COVID19

Researcher(s)

Associate Professor Sarah Hetrick and Dr Sarah Fortune

Health Services and Delivery

Developing a Māori Mental Health Advance Preferences statement (MAPs) in the Southern DHB

Developing a Māori Mental Health Advance Preferences statement (MAPs) in the Southern DHB

Researcher(s)

Professor Paul Glue

Health Services and Delivery Legal

Development of a youth-led, values-based, anti-cyberbullying mHealth tool for prevention of suicide in New Zealand youth

Development of a youth-led, values-based, anti-cyberbullying mHealth tool for prevention of suicide in New Zealand youth

Researcher(s)

Dr Samantha Marsh

Child and Youth Mental Health Tech and Digital

Acceptability to Māori of an online platform and interactive chatbot to support mental health wellbeing

Acceptability to Māori of an online platform and interactive chatbot to support mental health wellbeing

Researcher(s)

Dr Amy Hai Yan Chan

Tech and Digital

Using Big Data in Neuroimaging to Discover Brain Activity Associated with Suicidality in Youth

Using Big Data in Neuroimaging to Discover Brain Activity Associated with Suicidality in Youth

Researcher(s)

Dr Narun Pornpattananangkul

Child and Youth Mental Health Biological

Use of probiotics as an adjuvant treatment for Major Depressive Disorder in a community outpatient setting in New Zealand

Use of probiotics as an adjuvant treatment for Major Depressive Disorder in a community outpatient setting in New Zealand

Researcher(s)

Dr Frederick Sundram

Treatment Approaches

Exploring Sleep and Psychological Health in Medical Students

Exploring Sleep and Psychological Health in Medical Students

Researcher(s)

Erik Wibowo

Child and Youth Mental Health

Workplace Wellbeing “It’s Your Chnnl”: An Action Research Study in the Emergency Department Setting.

Workplace Wellbeing “It’s Your Chnnl”: An Action Research Study in the Emergency Department Setting.

Researcher(s)

Dr Karen Day

Health Services and Delivery

Suicide Prevention in the New Zealand Construction Industry

Suicide Prevention in the New Zealand Construction Industry

Researcher(s)

Andrew Walmsley

Occupational Mental Health

Does Diversity-Receptiveness in Educational Institutions Predict International Students’ Psychological and Social Well-being?

Does Diversity-Receptiveness in Educational Institutions Predict International Students’ Psychological and Social Well-being?

Researcher(s)

Professor Colleen Ward

Child and Youth Mental Health Health Services and Delivery

Paracetamol stocks in households

Paracetamol stocks in households

Researcher(s)

Ms Eeva-Katri Kumpula

Health Services and Delivery

Development and validation of non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging techniques to detect brain inflammation

Development and validation of non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging techniques to detect brain inflammation

Researcher(s)

Dr Joanne Lin

Biological

Completion of the “Stories of Deaf people who have had a significant experience of mental illness or addiction” project.

Completion of the “Stories of Deaf people who have had a significant experience of mental illness or addiction” project.

Researcher(s)

Dr Geoff Bridgman

Health Services and Delivery Deaf and Hard of Hearing
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