About Us

Kia ora and welcome to Out of their Minds, a new website exploring the value of mental distress, madness, ‘mental illness’, or whatever you want to call it. New Zealanders often hear only about the negative aspects of ‘mental illness’, and we want to change that. A lot of misunderstanding stems from people thinking of mental distress as primarily an illness, something that robs you of something and makes you less complete than everyone else.

What is this site about?

Outoftheirminds.co.nz aims to explore views on madness, mental distress or ‘mental illness’ that are often ignored by mainstream media. The site features artists and thinkers interviewing themselves about the value they see in their experiences of mental distress, and about what comes out of their minds.

We believe that there is no one way of thinking that can fully grasp the complexities of madness. With this in mind, it is well worth exploring viewpoints other than those we regularly hear from.

The site also features further reading about different aspects of mental distress, aimed at making sense of what can often seem an overwhelmingly complex subject. See our Rethinking Madness section.

The views of those we profile are not always necessarily shared by Outoftheirminds.co.nz. They are simply the views of successful people talking about how they have made their experience of madness or mental distress work for them.

Who are we?

This site was developed by the Like Minds Like Mine Team at Mind and Body Consultants.

Like Minds Like Mine is New Zealand’s Ministry of Health funded programme to counter discrimination against people with experience of ‘mental illness’.

A provider of this programme to the Auckland region, Mind and Body Consultants is an NGO staffed, led and owned entirely by people with experience of madness, mental distress or ‘mental illness’. We view madness as a philosophical challenge that people can learn much from, a challenge that effects who we are not what we are, and something that is, ultimately, very much a part of life.

What do we do?

Like Minds at Mind and Body Consultants seeks to counter discrimination by inviting people to rethink their ideas of madness or ‘mental illness’. Our other projects include:

RETHiNK Madness Workshops

We deliver free customised workshops to a variety of organisations and groups. Our workshops explore societal attitudes toward mental distress, and support the development of policies and practices that prevent discrimination. Download our brochure and postcard.

The RETHiNK Grants

We also provide small grants annually to groups or individuals to enable them to undertake innovative projects that address how society views issues of mental health. Applications open February 1st and close March 31st. Click here for a downloadable application form and further information.