New Zealand Mental Health advocate Nike King is encouraging the country to slip on their gumboots and help fundraise for Gumboot Friday today. The goal is to reach $2mil and all proceeds will go towards the I Am Hope mental health charity.
Each year on average around 550 People in New Zealand take their own lives and over 400 of those are male.
The toll on rangatahi is also devastating. Aotearoa has the highest teen suicide rate in the developed world for people aged between 15 and 19 years old.
The donations will help provide kids with free counselling.
The concept of Kiwis switching their everyday sneakers and shoes to put on gumboots grew from the notion that depression feels like walking in mud.
Gumboot Friday aims to demonstrate unity and support for those who have experienced or are still going through depression.
'Mr G', an internationally known street artist, is a part of the campaign and says, "Depression is very real, it resonates with Māori and I can relate with this topic a lot because of my own experiences [of] depression."
Mr G says the answer is a message of hope compassion for people who are going down this path.
"Genuine aroha is powerful, they just need to know that someone cares," he says.
Donations can be made at gumbootfriday.com or at any business where the Gumboot Friday gumboot is on display, including Kiwibank branches throughout the country.