Inspired in part by seeing many Kiwis struggling through prolonged Covid-19 lockdowns, up to 20,000 supermarket workers throughout the country will this month help raise funds for mental health.
The campaign, being run by Countdown in support of this week's nationwide Mental Health Awareness Week, is a staff initiative and comes because "we are part of communities and every week we see customers who are struggling," says the company's general manager Corporate Affairs, Safety and Sustainability, Kiri Hannifin.
She says it follows feedback from staff that they wanted to support the mental health and wellbeing of their communities and is on top of a $100,000 donation Countdown is to make to the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) to kick off awareness week.
As part of the campaign Countdown will be encouraging its teams and customers in its 184 stores this weekend to take part in Round Up, where shoppers' transactions are rounded up to the nearest dollar and the difference will be donated to work in mental health.
"If a purchase is $15.90, for example, we will ask the customer if they are okay to round it up to $16 and the extra amount will be donated," Hannifin says.
MHF CEO Shaun Robinson says the campaign couldn't be more timely and encourages Countdown customers to get behind the fundraiser. "We know that the last few months have been really tough for people."
Hannifin says with over three million customer visits every week supermarket staff often deal with people suffering from anxiety or other mental health issues.
"Covid has made it worse," she says. "This latest lockdown has come on top of a pretty tough 18 months for many people. We worry about our community and want to keep them safe and supported, because a supermarket is one of the only places people can go to in a lockdown, it becomes a very important place for people.
"We are humans, we are part of communities, we feel it ourselves and see it in our stores every day," she says. "With Covid-19 there is still a lot of unease and anxiety out there while the Lynnmall incident (seven people were stabbed in a terrorist attack in Countdown's supermarket there on September 3) was very painful for that team."
Hannifin says she is pleased, and proud of, the response from staff. She says it will be up to teams in individual stores whether they donate to the Mental Health Foundation or choose a local mental health cause that is "close to their hearts".
Depending on Covid alert levels funds will also be raised through things such as sausage sizzles – and again what shape these activities take is being left to the individual supermarket teams.
"Our teams know first-hand New Zealand is struggling with its mental health and there is rarely a week goes by without news articles, government reports or social media feeds being filled with the burgeoning mental health crisis."
She says the Mental Health Foundation is facing a $4 million funding shortfall to meet the needs of more than a million people who contact them every year.
A Ministry of Health report last year shows the incidence of mental distress is rising. In 2019/20 the number of non-Maori seen by mental health services per 100,000 people was at 2778, a 47 per cent increase on the figure of 1895 recorded in 2008/09.
For Maori the ratio was higher – 4733 per 100,000 in 2019/20 compared to 4064 in 2008/09 – although the rate of increase at 16 per cent was lower.
Recent research from accounting firm MYOB also highlighted the problem. It found that more than a third of small and medium-sized business owners say they have experienced a mental health condition since starting or taking over their current business. Despite this, just 28 per cent had discussed mental wellbeing in the workplace.
Hannifin says mental health and wellbeing is critical. "Kiwis are told to talk about it, to open up, but where can they go for help when health services are struggling to cope with the demand?"
She says the theme of this year's Mental Health Awareness Week - take time to korero - resonates closely with Countdown's safety culture and the way it does things with its Countdown whanau.
The company's 2025 Sustainability Plan (Kia pai ake te apopo – a better tomorrow) has a goal of empowering and encouraging its teams to support their wellbeing and is in line with the Round Up campaign: "We are committed to building a workplace where people believe it's ok not to feel ok and its absolutely ok to ask for help."
Hannifin says this campaign is different to what Countdown has done in the past and recognises that building healthy communities is about more than just food.
For more information go to Food for good.