Diversity Counselling New Zealand

19/08/2026

Diversity Counselling NZ were delighted to be part of the De-Stress Fest Support Expo at the University of Waikato, Hamilton and to connect with so many inspiring students.

During our time at the event, we had the opportunity to connect with a vibrant community of both domestic and international students. It was wonderful to see so many students stop by our stall to join our activities, explore our resources and learn more about the culturally responsive counselling and wellbeing support offered by Diversity Counselling New Zealand.

One of the most meaningful parts of the event was listening to students share their experiences and wellbeing journeys. These conversations reminded us of the importance of creating safe, inclusive spaces where everyone feels heard, valued, and supported.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who visited us and to the University of Waikato for bringing the community together through this fantastic event. Together, we continue to build a community where everyone can engage, connect and thrive.

07/08/2026

Early bird registration for CAHRE Conference has been extended by one week.

Come join us for this exciting conference, centering ethnic minority voices, lived experiences, and evidence-informed approaches to re-envision equitable health futures in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Click this link to register: https://auckland.cventevents.com/event/180669cf-b36a-4757-ac0a-ee3e123b4161/register?rp=b48e240e-57de-41de-b014-6e4b03a6b578

For programme highlights and full registration details, please visit:
https://cahre.blogs.auckland.ac.nz/

We are excited to be part of the CAHRE Conference 2026, bringing together practitioners, researchers, and communities to share knowledge, lived experiences, and culturally responsive approaches to wellbeing.

This is a wonderful opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired by the diverse voices and perspectives.

Early Bird registration is now open we look forward to seeing you there.

Click this link to register: https://auckland.cventevents.com/event/180669cf-b36a-4757-ac0a-ee3e123b4161/register?rp=b48e240e-57de-41de-b014-6e4b03a6b578

(Early Bird registration closes 7th August)

07/08/2026

Diversity Counselling New Zealand (DCNZ) was well represented at the Multi-Ethnic Forum in Tauranga on 22 July, hosted by Multicultural Tauranga, Tauranga City Council and Western Bay District Council at the University of Waikato – Tauranga Campus.

It was inspiring to see more than 60 community members, service providers, and leaders come together to share ideas, build connections, and strengthen support for the wellbeing of our diverse ethnic communities.

Our DCNZ Bay of Plenty team members Chin, Ray, and Tina attended and delivered a presentation showcasing our culturally responsive counselling services across the region. There was strong interest in our referral pathways and multilingual counselling services, highlighting the growing need for accessible and culturally safe mental health support.

The networking session also provided valuable opportunities to connect with organisations, exchange resources, and explore future collaborations to improve access to care for ethnic communities.

Thank you to Multicultural Tauranga, Tauranga City Council and Western Bay District Council for organising such a meaningful and inclusive event. Through collaboration and strong community partnerships, we can continue working towards equitable pathways to wellbeing for everyone.

04/08/2026

On 3 July 2026, DCNZ hosted a two-session workshop on Culture, Cultural Competency, and Supporting Migrant Communities in Tauranga at the Gresham Room, Tauranga Coastguard. The workshop was facilitated by Dulani Abeysinghe from eCALD.

The sessions focused on working effectively with diverse communities and strengthening support for migrant wellbeing, offering opportunities for shared learning, reflection, and culturally responsive practice.

27/07/2026

We are excited to be part of the CAHRE Conference 2026, bringing together practitioners, researchers, and communities to share knowledge, lived experiences, and culturally responsive approaches to wellbeing.

This is a wonderful opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired by the diverse voices and perspectives.

Early Bird registration is now open we look forward to seeing you there.

Click this link to register: https://auckland.cventevents.com/event/180669cf-b36a-4757-ac0a-ee3e123b4161/register?rp=b48e240e-57de-41de-b014-6e4b03a6b578

(Early Bird registration closes 7th August)

23/06/2026

We are pleased to share a free workshop in Tauranga, organised by Diversity Counselling New Zealand (DCNZ) in collaboration with eCALD.

This is a valuable opportunity to strengthen cultural understanding and support more inclusive practice.

Please see the attached flyer for details and feel free to share it within your networks.

01/05/2026

Free Counselling for Ethnic Communities – Auckland

We are pleased to share that Diversity Counselling New Zealand (DCNZ) now offers free brief counselling and psychotherapy services for migrants and former refugees from ethnic communities in Auckland.

Our multilingual team of registered counsellors and clinical psychologists provides culturally responsive and professional support in 24 languages. For other languages, we use professional interpreters, making mental health care accessible for all.
Services are available until funding is exhausted.

A heartfelt thank you to our funder— Foundation North— for making this possible.

To make a referral for counselling services or for more information, please visit our website and download the referral form at https://www.diversitycounselling.org.nz/counselling-services/

24/04/2026

On April 11th and 18th, our Latin American community mobilisers from Diversity Counselling New Zealand gathered at the Settlement Centre Waikato for a workshop focused on alcohol harm prevention.

Led by the Diversity Counselling New Zealand team, our community learned about responsible drinking, alcohol harm prevention, and the importance of wellbeing.

Creating these spaces is essential for us to learn together, support one another, and make informed choices for a healthier and stronger future.

Los pasados 11 y 18 de abril, nos reunimos en el Settlement Centre Waikato para participar en un taller vital sobre la prevención del consumo de alcohol. Gracias a la guía de el equipo de Diversity Counselling New Zealand, los asistentes exploraron estrategias de consumo responsable y bienestar integral.

Es fundamental crear estos espacios donde, como comunidad, podamos aprender, apoyarnos y tomar decisiones informadas para un futuro más saludable.

24/04/2026

Starting over in a new country takes courage and strength.

Moving to New Zealand brings new opportunities, but it can also come with challenges — adjusting to a new job, new systems, new routines, and sometimes feelings of stress, loneliness, or pressure.

During difficult times, some people may turn to alcohol to cope. But real strength comes from seeking support, building connections, and knowing you do not have to face these challenges alone.

Community, understanding, and the right support can make a big difference for you and your family. Help is available, and reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness.

If you would like to talk, learn more, or find support in Hamilton/Waikato, please reach out.

Support:
DCNZ – 0210 262 5587
Alcohol & Drug Helpline – 0800 787 797 (Free, 24/7)
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) – 0800 229 6757 | [email protected]

18/04/2026

Our Alcohol Harm Prevention community mobilisers joined the Sri Lanka Friendship Society in Waikato New Year celebration, where we connected with many community members. Most conversations were in Sinhalese language, while we engaged with younger participants in English.

Our activities included a quick quiz, sharing simple tips and practical tools to reduce alcohol-related harm, distributing our Sinhala-translated booklet, and providing information on where to access further resources and support.

We are planning a more detailed workshop in the near future and will share the details soon.

අපගේ මත්පැන් හානි අවම කිරීමේ (Alcohol Harm Prevention) ප්‍රජා සක්‍රීයකරුවන්, ශ්‍රී ලංකා මිතුරන්ගේ සංගමය – වයිකාටෝ අලුත් අවුරුදු උත්සවයට එක්වී, ප්‍රජා සාමාජිකයන් බොහෝ දෙනා සමඟ සම්බන්ධ වීමට හැකි විය. වැඩිහිටි සමූහය සමඟ අපි බොහෝ විට සිංහලෙන් සංවාද කළ අතර, තරුණයින් සමඟ ඉංග්‍රීසි භාෂාවෙන් ද සම්බන්ධ වුණා.

අපගේ ක්‍රියාකාරකම් අතරට කෙටි ප්‍රශ්නාවලියක් (quiz), මත්පැන් භාවිතයෙන් ඇතිවිය හැකි හානිය අවම කිරීමට සරල උපදෙස් හා ප්‍රායෝගික මෙවලම් බෙදාහැරීම, අප විසින් සිංහලට පරිවර්තනය කළ පොත්පත බෙදා දීම, සහ තවත් සම්පත් හා සහය ලබාගැනීමට හැකි ස්ථාන පිළිබඳ තොරතුරු ලබා දීම ඇතුළත් විය.

ඉදිරියේදී වැඩි විස්තර සහිත වැඩමුළුවක් (workshop) සංවිධානය කිරීමට අපි සැලසුම් කරමින් සිටින අතර, එහි විස්තර ඉක්මනින් ඔබ සමඟ බෙදාගන්නෙමු.