OPINION: You might not know the name Krissy Macintosh or Krissy Mack as she is more affectionately known. But trust me, you will.
Krissy is a global leader in men's mental health and suicide prevention. She runs a Formula One team on a go-kart budget. The work Krissy and her incredible team are doing in the Tairawhiti region comes from the heart, from people who've been there, survived that.
Hundreds of men have experienced a hands-on, holistic approach. Talking, fitness, togetherness, community. It might sound simple but I've seen first-hand how effective it is.
My message is simple, we can't keep doing men's mental health and suicide prevention the way we always have. It's time for authorities to rethink their approach and the blueprint is right in front of us.
Don't get me wrong, there will be other Krissy Mack's across New Zealand quietly doing incredible work. If you're reading this please let me know who they are, because the more Krissy Mack's there are, the less we rely on 'fly in, fly out' methods, the same speech repeated a hundred times and then banking the cheque!
Talk about a short-term fix, a Band-Aid. And in some cases, it's just a thinly veiled excuse for a business.
Hear4U should mean just that. Just ask the men of Tairawhiti.
