Who to call if there's an emergency
In an emergency (ambulance, fire, police) – call 111 in New Zealand (make sure to use the appropriate emergency number in other countries).
Health helplines
Healthline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 0800 611 116. Call Healthline if you need advice about a child of any age who is unwell, hurt, or has any symptoms of sickness. It's free to callers throughout New Zealand, including from a mobile phone.
PlunketLine is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on 0800 933 922 for advice and support for you, your baby and your whānau. Calls are free from cell phones. You do not need to be registered with Plunket to use this service.
For information about poisons or in case of poisoning, call the National Poisons Centre on 0800 POISON 0800 764 766. This free emergency telephone service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The NPC provides professional and timely advice during poisoning incidents.
Mental health helplines
Youthline offers a free 24/7 helpline service.
Free call 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz.
Youthline also offers free face-to-face counselling services. Find out more, or chat via webchat, on the Youthline website.
The Lowdown helps young New Zealanders with depression and anxiety.
Free call 0800 111 757 or text 5626.
Young people can also email The Lowdown at team@thelowdown.co.nz or webchat with someone via its website.
0800 Whatsup? Is for young people aged between 5 and 18. Phone counselling is available between 11am to 11pm every day of the year. online chat is available between 11am to 10:30pm 7 days a week, including all public holidays.
SPARX is a self-help e-therapy tool for rangatahi (young people) aged between 12 and 19. SPARX also has a helpline where you can speak with a counsellor - Call 0508 4 SPARX (0508 477 279) or free text 3110.
1737 - Need to talk? is a free national counselling service. Call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor or peer support worker.
If you, or someone you know, may be thinking about suicide, call the Suicide Crisis Line for support from a trained counsellor. Contact them on 0508 TAUTOKO (0508 828 865). The Suicide Crisis Line is a free, nationwide service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Helplines for specific issues
Call Oranga Tamariki on 0508 326 459 if you suspect child abuse or neglect or are worried that a baby or child you know is not safe or being well cared for. Visit their website for more contact information.
Call Women’s Refuge on 0800 733 843 for help, support or information for women and children experiencing violence in their lives.
OUTLine NZ is an all-ages rainbow mental health organisation. It offers a free peer support phone line, a transgender peer support service for trans and non-binary people in Auckland, and specialist face-to-face and video counselling exploring gender and sexuality for rainbow people across Aotearoa.
People can call 0800 OUTLINE (0800 688 5463) any evening between 6pm and 9pm to talk to a trained volunteer from the LGBTIQ+ community.
Call the Alcohol and Drug Helpline on 0800 787 797 available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or free text 8681 and a counsellor will txt you back.
Shine provides a range of services, including a comprehensive website on family violence. Although the organisation is Auckland-based, the information on the website is nationally relevant. The organisation provides a free national helpline available from 9am to 11pm on 0508 744 633.
This Ministry of Social Development website has information about family violence, what it is and where to get help. They also have an 0800 Family Violence Information Line (0800 456 450) which provides self-help information. It also connects people to services where appropriate. Visit their website if you need help for yourself or someone else.
If you are worred that your child or someone in your whānau has a gambling problem, call the Gambling Helpline on 0800 654 655, free text 8006 or online chat via their website.
Call Aoake te Rā on 0800 000 053 for free counselling for people bereaved by suicide. Visit their website to learn about their support services.
Call the Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254. Rural Support Trust is for people in rural communities dealing with financial or personal challenges.
Call the Shakti Crisis Line on 0800 742 584 (0800 SHAKTI) for culturally competent support services for women, children and families of Asian, African and Middle Eastern origin who have experienced domestic violence.
Call Help, a HELPline on 0800 623 1700, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for support for sexual abuse survivors.
Call EDANZ on 0800 233 269 for information, support and resources about supporting someone with an eating disorder.
Call the Asian Family Services on 0800 862 342 or email help@asianfamilyservices.nz. The service provides professional, confidential support in multiple languages to Asians living in New Zealand, Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm.
Call Skylight on 0800 299 100 between 8.30am and 4.30pm weekdays. Skylight is a national organisation working to support children, young people and their families who have been affected by change, loss and grief.
Call The Grief Centre on 0800 331 333 for support for all forms of loss, grief, trauma or difficult change.
Call Yellow Brick Road on 0800 732 825 (Northern Region), 0800 555 434 (Central North Island), 0800 876 682 (South Island) - for families and whānau supporting a loved one who has a mental illness.
Call Safe to Talk on 0800 044 334 or free text 4334 for help to do with sexual harm. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and staffed by trained counsellors.
Help for deaf and hard-of-hearing people
Many services on this page offer txt, messenger or online chat services.
New Zealand Relay Services helps users to connect with services over the phone.
Register with the New Zealand Police for the 111 TXT service. It is an emergency TXT service for people with hearing or speech difficulties. Check the website for more information.
More helplines and services
Visit the HealthEd website for more helplines and services in Aotearoa New Zealand.
