A median wait time under 90 minutes. A helpfulness score of 9 out of 10. Three in four patients needing just one visit to have a meaningful and effective session. These are the results from Tend Health's funded digital mental health service – a fully funded 30-minute video consultation with a Health Improvement Practitioner (HIP), available to New Zealanders over 16, at no cost, with no referral and no enrolment required.
About one in 10 New Zealand adults reported an unmet need for professional mental health help in the past year. Long waits, the cost of private therapy, and finding time around work and whānau have all been real barriers.
This service was built to remove them.
In September 2025, Tend Health launched the service under Te Whatu Ora's Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund (MHIF), investing more than $2 million to build the technology platform, clinical model and infrastructure to deliver care at scale.
Since launch, approximately 2,800 appointments have been booked. Monthly consult volumes have more than doubled since launch, with growth accelerating sharply from March 2026 onward. 96.6% of patients report their specific needs were met.
Just over one in five patients are Māori or Pacific peoples, with 18.9% identifying as Māori, and 14% are aged 18 to 24. Four in 10 users of the service (40%) live in New Zealand's most deprived neighbourhoods (NZDep Quintile 4 or 5).
Notably, Tend's virtual MHIF service is reaching a higher proportion of Asian and Māori people than its in-clinic IPMHA (Integrated Primary Mental Health and Addiction) services, with a similar pattern among younger people aged 18–24 - suggesting online care is resonating strongly with these groups.
And hearing from the patients who have used the service:
"I have never had a more productive 30-minute conversation than this. Smart, structured and efficient. Thank you for the help."
"Provided me with practical strategies to help me get emotionally unstuck."
"I had the most amazing experience. I have tools to get me through hard times. So lucky to have this free option for mental health."
Tend’s Chief Medical Officer Graham Denyer says the results reflect what brief intervention, done well, can achieve. "The telehealth HIP model is reaching people that clinic-based services simply cannot – people in rural areas, people who cannot take time off work, people who would never walk into a clinic but will book a video call from their car on their lunch break."
The service uses Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT), a brief intervention method adapted for primary care. 75% of patients find that they get what they need from this first visit – a reflection of the model's design, not its limits. Every patient receives a written behavioural change plan within minutes, with clinical notes sent to their GP through standard channels, with patient consent.
Dr Denyer says the service changes what primary care can offer. "When a patient presents with workplace stress or mild anxiety, a GP wants to help - but a 15-minute appointment isn't always the right tool, and a referral into the secondary system can mean weeks of waiting. Online HIPs give clinics extra flexibility, complementing in-clinic HIP services that aren't available everywhere. Having a clinician available same-day, at no cost, changes what the care team can offer. Traditional services haven't always reached everyone who needs them - a free, virtual option open to anyone over 16 helps close that gap."
Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey says this is exactly why the Innovation Fund was created, to back new ideas that deliver real results on the ground. "This new service has allowed people to access support faster from wherever they are and has made it easier for more people to get the help they need. This has been a real game changer for many."
One patient response captured what the data cannot:
"Just what I needed. To be seen, heard, and helped in a culturally safe, positive and affirming space. It was mana enhancing and healing. Ngā mihi nui mo to aroha manaaki and awhina mai ki ahau. Tika pono and aroha."
To book a free appointment, download the Tend app. The service is open weekdays 8am to 8pm.