Pathways to wellbeing: A youth-led exploration of mental health in Aotearoa New Zealand

Young people in Aotearoa New Zealand, like their peers around the world, are experiencing declining mental health and wellbeing.

Read the report
Read the media release

Yet understanding of why mental health is declining has been shallow to date, with limited exploration of how the changing social, cultural and political landscapes surrounding young people impact their wellbeing.

In this project, we worked with 176 young people from Auckland and Northland to explore what they think impacts youth mental health – for better and for worse – and how these issues can be addressed. The four key issues identified were:

• The world they live in: anxiety about the economy, climate change and a society they see as polarised and unequal.
• The pressures they experience: expectations to succeed academically, make families proud, and in some cases contribute financially to whānau.
• The connections they need: reliance on supportive peers, family and communities, and the risks of isolation.
• Finding their path: navigating identity and independence in a complex and uncertain world.

While many point to social media as the sole cause of increased rates of mental health challenges amongst young people, this research suggests that social media has complex interactions with these four factors.

Register for the webinar ‘Understanding and addressing youth mental distress in Aotearoa New Zealand’, 12.30pm NZT, 13 November 2025.

The second report in this series can be accessed here: Addressing Youth Mental Distress in Aotearoa New Zealand.