TRANSFORMING MENTALHEALTH EDUCATION IN
AOTEAROA
Evaluation
Results

www.mitey.org.nz

MITEY IN ACTIONOVERVIEW
Mitey is a unique, NZ specific approach to mental
health education designed for primary andintermediate schools that is transforming
mental health education in Aotearoa.

eﬀectiveness of a whole school approach
to mental health education.
“The evaluation report concludes that theprogress made by Mitey in just 18 months isquite exceptional and points to an approach thathas the potential to radically alter the landscapeof mental health education in Aotearoa.”

Over 18 months the University of Auckland
evaluated the impact of Mitey, amongst ākongaand teachers, together with considering theKEY ACHIEVEMENTS
123Mitey has normalised
conversations about
mental health and helped
create understanding
about the possibilities ofquality mental healtheducation

Teachers describe Mitey asa ‘way of being’ that has led
to positive changes in theirown mental health

The whole school approach
has catalysed anunderstanding of howmental health education canimprove and enrich literacyand numeracyĀkonga in each of the schools havedemonstrated meaningful progression inlearning new knowledge and developing
understandings and skills in mental health.

MITEY IN ACTION

IMPACTknowledge:
Mitey has increased the ability of ākonga to recognise andpositively respond to their own mental health and other people’s,with indications they are taking that learning into their everyday lives.
They know it is okay to feel, discuss and express their emotions
and can critically reflect about concepts such as forgiveness,fair play and what it means to be a good friend.

skills:The development of new skills is due to the authentic and real-life
experiences Mitey encourages ākonga to share and relate to.
The critical skill of being able to name and express their feelings leads tolearning skills around managing feelings, meaning ākonga are able to moreeasily self-regulate, together with feeling comfortable seeking support.

understanding:Ākonga understand that recognising others’ feelings is the prerequisite
for helping them, including the ability to interpret body language.
Mitey also helps ākonga celebrate their identity and mana, understanding
their diﬀerences are their strengths, leading to more inclusive behaviourin the playground.

One teacher noted that for such a shift tohave occurred it has been crucial that Mitey
has engaged ākonga in a stepped progressionof learning, rather than in repetition oflearning often seen in programmes.

MITEY IN ACTIONA SNAPSHOT OF SUCCESS
An open and honest school environment
Mitey has fostered an open and honest classroom
environment where teachers are learning alongsideākonga. As teachers share things about themselves it isreflected back, with ākonga having less hesitation aboutsharing and participating in class. This sharing of thoughtsand feelings opens up deeper knowledge for teachers of
their ākonga, enabling them to create genuine
connections and support them more.

Since starting Mitey, the number of ākonga who ask
questions in class has increased and participation is now
becoming a habit.
“Mitey recognises the relationship between teacher andākonga sits at the heart of all learning in schools. Mitey
repositions teachers and ākonga onto a mutual journey
towards mental wellbeing.”

Coaching model underpins success
The coaches are key to embedding Mitey into a school’s
culture. This is due to their ability to not only model theteaching but provide eﬀective support to deliver mental
health education in a safe, careful, proven way that
positively impacts teachers and ākonga.
“Coaches never expected teachers to act as if they weretrained psychologists… they have focused on enhancing
teachers’ competence and confidence in delivering
mental health education.”

Mitey is flexible
Alongside Mitey’s solid knowledge and research base, it’s
the flexibility which teachers value so highly, enabling themto adapt the approach to their unique context. This means
schools can make Mitey ‘their own’ increasing teacher
confidence to deliver eﬀective mental health education.

“Everything we need to teach Mitey is provided.…youcould just follow the plan exactly or if you’re more
confident you can flip in and out of it.”

MITEY IN ACTIONA SNAPSHOT OF SUCCESS
Integration is easy
Teachers assert that Mitey enables them to be more open
minded and creative in the way they weave mental healtheducation into what is being taught in the classroom. One
subject area can enrich another by working in tandem like
explorations of ‘noticing and wondering’ into a maths
lesson or connecting concepts of mana across areas oflearning.

Mitey is the lens through which schools live and breathe
their localised curriculum.
“The principal values that Mitey links clearly to the New
Zealand curriculum. She recognised that mental healtheducation must gain the same status as literacy andnumeracy.”“All the teachers interviewed spoke about how theconcepts of Mitey, especially the Mana Model are now
woven through all the curriculum.”

Creating impact beyond the classroom
Implementing Mitey has had a positive impact on staﬀ
wellbeing as they recognise the important role it has tofoster their own mental health. Staﬀ are checking in witheach other more and making sure everyone is okay.

Builds teachers’ confidence
Using Mitey’s approach, teachers have identified shifts intheir own confidence and competence in teaching mental
health education, including the ability to use more sophisticatedwords about emotions in their teaching. This has a positive flow
on eﬀect, with ākonga beginning to similarly develop a wider
range of language to describe their identity, their relationships,
and ways to express their feelings.
“Teachers can now go beyond just identifying a child’s
feeling to having the tools and skills and lessons to dosomething about it.”

There is more open dialogue between staﬀ and the seniorleadership team.
“You can actually apply things to your own personal lifeand my family. It’s like a double whammy eﬀect, its
personal and professional, that I get benefits from.”

MITEY IN ACTION

ĀKONGA SAY IT BEST...
“I felt like I was able to ask
my teacher questions that Iwould normally not be able
to ask him directly”“Some people thoughtsadness and depression arebasically the same thing, but
depression is, like a whole
new level down”“You know Miss, ourdiﬀerence defines who weare in our uniqueness”“Sometimes I have thisfeeling when you have a big
feeling and when you don’t’
talk about it and then you’relike (sighs, sighs). Then you
talk about it and it’s like‘Actually it’s not that bad”

“When someone’s feelingsad you go up to themand make them feelbetter...more happierthan they’ve been feelinglately and express their
feelings like me and makethem feel calm and safe”

SOCIAL INVESTMENT
We are building a social investment model to bringcollectives of funders together to collaborate andmaximise their impact in school-led tamariki
mental health.

Want to know more?

The goal is investing in transformative change tocreate schools with embedded mental healtheducation for every ākonga who passes throughtheir community.

To join the Foundation’s social impact collective
contact simon@jkfoundation.org.nz

To apply for your school to join Mitey use thecontact enquiry form on our website
www.mitey.org.nz

To partner with Mitey in the education sector
contact nikki@jkfoundation.org.nz