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Autumn Newsletter

It’s fair to say that many of us are wondering where the first couple of months of the year have gone. With an El Niño weather pattern and raising fuel prices again, coupled with the aftermath of weather events still impacting some of our fishers and marine farmers – it feels like 2024 has started with its share of challenges.And the same applies to FirstMate. As a charity dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of fishers, marine farmers and their whānau, we plan to be around for a very lon...

Merry Christmas from FirstMate

This time of year is celebratory, and we often have a sense of relief at having reached a finish line. Roll on food, holiday, sun and family! But for some, it can also be extremely stressful. There is a huge amount to juggle, budgets can be tight, expectations need to be met, work still needs to be done – fishing doesn’t stop, family tensions can be raised… and it can compound stress and anxiety that is already in place. We want you to know that we understand if this is you. Firs...

Summer Newsletter

Kia Ora and welcome to the summer edition FirstMate newsletter. You may remember our first edition went out at the end of June, and it’s been a busy few months for FirstMate since then.I want to start by sharing some exciting news with you. As you will know, FirstMate is a charity. We were provided funding by the Ministry for Primary Industries to set up and deliver our services in 2021, with funding coming to an end in February 2024. We’re very excited to share that we’ve generously been ...

Winter Newsletter

Kia Ora and welcome to the first FirstMate newsletter.FirstMate NZ has now been running for almost two years and we’re making a real and very profound difference to many of our fishers and marine farmers’ lives.We’re launching a newsletter as there is much to share and we would love for you to be part of our journey.We completed the pilot for FirstMate in October 2022, and it reinforced how vital it is that there is mental health and wellbeing support for our fishers, marine farmers and th...