Bereaved Family’s Charity Set To Fund Digital Wellbeing Initiative For NZ & Pacific Students

A charitable trust formed by a family who lost their son to suicide is now set to expand a digital wellbeing initiative to help schools identify and respond to early signs of mental distress among students in NZ and the Pacific Islands.

The Reid O’Leary Charitable Trust was formed in memory of 'Reid-O'Leary, who tragically lost his life to a ‘silent struggle’ with his mental health just after his 21st birthday.

The Trust is launching the REID (Reach, Empowerment, Insights, Development) Wellness Programme, working with a global education technology provider to make Hawke’s Bay the first region in New Zealand where all schools have access to real-time, in-school wellbeing and support tools.

Since the project’s launch just three months ago, the platform has reached almost 10,000 students across 23 schools, responding to what local educators have called a teen mental health crisis in the region.

Russell Borschmann, spokesperson for the Reid O’Leary Charitable Trust, says the goal is to stop the heartbreak caused by youth suicide by giving young people and their communities the tools, education and support they need to build resilience and well-being.

“We’re starting in Hawke’s Bay, with a strong technology-based programme to identify struggling kids earlier and connect them to trusted adults in their schools who can help along”

“Our goal is to see this level of support for students available across all schools in New Zealand and eventually throughout the Pacific.”

The initiative began after more than 1,200 people attended Reid’s funeral, where friends and family resolved to take practical steps to prevent further youth suicides. Within months, they raised $25,000 through community events, and Reid’s sister, Eden, formed the Run for Reido campaign that seeded the foundation’s first major investment in school-based mental health technology.

“Powering the Reid Wellness Programme is Linewize Pulse, a digital wellbeing check-in tool that helps tamariki and rangatahi with how they’re feeling. We understand that, like Reid, it may be difficult for some young people to talk about their struggles so the programme creates a safe space for them to connect with teachers who can help support them by fostering mental well-being and working to help prevent suicide,” Borschmann says.

Linewize School Wellbeing Specialist Andrew Sylvester says schools urgently need real-time visibility to help address the growing mental health challenges young people face.

“Every day, school staff are faced with students who are struggling but can’t find the words to ask for help. Our platform gives schools the visibility to spot patterns early and connect those students with the support they need before a crisis occurs.

“Too many young people like Reid suffer in silence. Technology can’t replace empathy but it can give teachers and caregivers the early warning they need to intervene before it’s too late.”

The Trust’s next goal is to expand the programme nationwide, a move that will require private sector support. The charity is now seeking charities and corporate partners willing to co-fund the rollout so every school in the country can access the system without cost barriers.

“It costs less than the price of a cup of coffee per student. With the right partners, New Zealand could become the first country in the world to offer every student this kind of protection,” says Borschmann

Sylvester says around 200 schools, roughly one in every twelve across New Zealand, now use Linewize Pulse, supporting more than 64,000 tamariki with a new way to ask for help when they need it most.

“Every day thousands of young New Zealanders are reflecting on their wellbeing and connecting with help through the tool.”

To help share the O’Leary family’s story, a short documentary has been produced capturing the emotional journey behind the initiative. Featuring interviews with Reid’s parents and siblings, the film will premiere this Friday, 17 October, in Hawke’s Bay to formally launch the REID Wellness Programme. aimed at raising awareness and securing funding for a nationwide launch of the programme.

“We’d rather spend an hour with our friends now than an hour at their funeral,” (Eden Reid’s sister) says in the film, a line Borschmann describes as the most powerful expression of the project’s purpose.

The event will bring together educators, mental health experts and community leaders to celebrate progress and rally support for a New Zealand-wide rollout of the REID Wellbeing Programme.

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