$1 million to create a Better Space for Canterbury kids

The Better Space fundraising campaign reached its 1-million-dollar target, bringing Canterbury closer to getting Kahurangi - an improved mental outpatient health treatment space for Canterbury's youth.

At Rātā Foundation, we want to see a world where people get the right support when they need it. We want to see a world where young people facing mental distress are cared for in a place that is hopeful and uplifting.   This was our why when we partnered with Māia Foundation in the Better Space campaign by dollar-matching each contribution made by the community.

Every month, around 400 Canterbury kids are referred for specialist support for their mental health. Current outpatient facilities where they are cared for are old, cramped, and not fit for purpose.

Spearheaded by Māia, the Better Space Appeal is part of their commitment to raise $6 million for a new outpatient space in Canterbury. It will be home to Canterbury's Child, Adolescent, and Family (CAF) outpatient service, which provides mental health services for children and young people.

"Our kids are in crisis, with huge demand for our mental health services. We urgently need a better space for our kids to receive the help they desperately need," Māia Health Foundation CEO Michael Flatman says.

Rātā Chief Executive Leighton Evans says, "The work being done on the frontline daily at the current CAF facilities to change lives and give hope to our young people and their whānau is incredible, despite battling old, outdated buildings. Kahurangi will take how staff gives and rangatahi receive and experience that care to another level."

The partnership to match every dollar donated during the public appeal was an innovative funding approach piloted during Māia's 13 Minute Campaign that proved very successful. Leighton says it was a no-brainer to join forces again with Māia for this appeal. "No one is disappointed to see their money double – especially when it is going to a great cause, and their impact is amplified."

Alongside the campaign, Rātā and Māia produced a short film highlighting the desperate need for a new mental health outpatient facility for Canterbury youth.

For more information on the Better Space campaign and how you can help or to learn more about Māia Foundation, please visit - www.maiahealth.org.nz.