Perinatal mental health — mental health during pregnancy and the first year after birth — affects up to one in five new mothers and a significant proportion of fathers and partners. Postnatal depression and anxiety are common and treatable, yet many people don't receive adequate support. This guide covers the key funding sources.
Health system perinatal mental health:
- Perinatal mental health services: Regional specialist perinatal mental health teams
- Mother and Baby Units: Inpatient perinatal mental health (limited in NZ)
- Midwifery: Midwife-delivered mental health screening (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale)
- Well Child Tamariki Ora: Plunket and GP-delivered wellbeing checks including mental health
Plunket is a key perinatal mental health touchpoint:
- Well Child visits including maternal mental health screening
- Parent and community support
- PlunketLine — 24-hour parent support
Gaming trusts fund perinatal mental health programmes:
- Four Winds Foundation: Community health and wellbeing including parent support
- Grassroots Trust: Community health
- Pub Charity: Community health and family services
- Lion Foundation: Community family health
Gaming trust perinatal mental health applications:
- Parent support groups (postnatal depression groups)
- Home visiting services for at-risk new mothers
- Online resources for isolated new parents
- Peer support worker training
Mental Health Foundation NZ:
- Perinatal mental health awareness
- Parent wellbeing resources
Perinatal mental health support:
- Mothers Helpers: Postnatal depression support
- PANDA NZ: Perinatal anxiety and depression support (based in NZ context)
- Youthline parent support: Young parent mental health
Parent-infant relationship and infant mental health:
- Infant mental health: Attachment and early parent-infant relationships
- Oranga Tamariki: Child wellbeing including perinatal context
- Play centre and early childhood: Community support for parent-child attachment
Equity in perinatal mental health:
- Te Puni Kōkiri: Māori maternal and perinatal health
- Ministry for Pacific Peoples: Pacific maternal health
- Whānau Ora: Whānau-centred perinatal support
- Māori midwifery: Cultural midwifery practice
Māori and Pacific mothers have less access to perinatal mental health services.
Perinatal mental health for fathers and partners:
- Paternal postnatal depression: Increasingly recognised
- Father support groups: Community support for new dads
- Gaming trusts: Father-inclusive perinatal programmes
Grief and perinatal loss:
- Sands NZ: Stillbirth and newborn death support
- Miscarriage Support NZ: Early pregnancy loss support
- Gaming trusts: Bereavement support funding
Strong applications demonstrate:
- Women reached: New mothers screened, supported, and treated
- Equity: Māori and Pacific mothers with higher risk
- Early identification: Screening and early intervention
- Treatment access: Connection to therapy and clinical care
- Peer support: Lived experience and peer workers
- Infant wellbeing: Parent-infant relationship outcomes
- Partners: Including fathers and partners in support
- Community access: Reducing barriers to help-seeking
Tahua's grants management platform helps perinatal mental health organisations manage grant applications across Te Whatu Ora, Plunket, gaming trusts, and health foundations, tracking maternal mental health, early intervention, and parent-infant bonding outcomes.