Gisborne Opens New Crisis Recovery Café for Mental Health Support

The café will be operated by Te Kupenga Net Trust, an organisation that has been supporting people across the Tairāwhiti region since 1995.

People in Gisborne experiencing mental health or addiction challenges now have access to a new community-based support service, with the official opening of the city's Crisis Recovery Café offering a welcoming alternative to hospital emergency departments. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said the new Te Kāuta Crisis Recovery Café provides a safe, non-clinical environment where people can receive support from trained peer workers who have their own lived experience of recovery.

Instead of facing the pressure of a busy emergency department during a mental health crisis, people can visit the café without a referral and speak with someone who understands the challenges they are going through. The service is also designed to connect visitors with longer-term community services and other support they may need. Doocey said wraparound support can make a meaningful difference by helping people feel less overwhelmed and guiding them towards ongoing care that suits their circumstances.

Local organisation leads the new service

The café will be operated by Te Kupenga Net Trust, an organisation that has been supporting people across the Tairāwhiti region since 1995. The Government selected the trust because of its strong local relationships and deep understanding of community needs.

The Minister said local organisations are often best placed to deliver services that reflect the needs of their communities, making Te Kupenga a natural choice to lead the initiative. Te Kāuta will initially welcome visitors from 7am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, with operating hours set to be reviewed after the first three months to determine whether changes are needed based on community demand.

Peer support remains central to mental health reforms

The Gisborne café forms part of the Government's wider programme to establish eight new Crisis Recovery Cafés across New Zealand, giving more people access to early mental health support outside traditional clinical settings. Doocey said feedback from people experiencing mental distress has consistently shown that emergency departments are not always the most appropriate place to seek help. Creating calm community spaces staffed by peer support workers offers a different kind of care built on shared understanding and lived experience.

He also highlighted the growing role of peer support workers across the mental health system, including emergency departments, eating disorder services, maternal mental health programmes and inpatient facilities. One peer worker told him the service was exactly what she wished had been available during her own recovery, with someone able to say, "I see you, I hear you, I know what you're going through." Doocey said experiences like these reinforce the value of expanding peer-led support throughout New Zealand.