Community in Mind

The Canterbury DHB took over responsibility for coordinating psychosocial recovery work from the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) on 1st March 2016.

Ongoing work allocated to Community and Public Health (as part of the Canterbury DHB) includes:

  • Governance: Community and Public Health convenes a Psychosocial Committee to plan, coordinate, promote and monitor the psychosocial recovery and wellbeing of the population of greater Christchurch. Community and Public Health also convenes the Psychosocial Governance Group, which connects the work of the Greater Christchurch Partnership (GCP).
  • Service coordination: The Psychosocial Committee ensures continued provision of support through the Community in Mind Strategy and Shared Programme of Action. The Shared Programme is the Committee’s most transparent record of its buy-in to a shared vision.
  • Monitoring: Community and Public Health manages monitoring and reporting on community wellbeing through two major projects – the Canterbury Wellbeing Index and Wellbeing Survey.

Community in Mind.While life for many in Canterbury is improving, the impacts of the 2010/11 earthquakes are still being felt as the region’s recovery heads into its eighth year. It is estimated psychosocial recovery from disasters of the magnitude of the Canterbury Earthquake sequence will take at least a decade.

Community in Mind was developed to help people and communities in greater Christchurch rebuild their health and wellbeing. Together, the Community in Mind Strategy and Shared Programme of Action would guide agencies, organisations and community groups to develop, target and coordinate their activities to support this.

The vision outlined in the Community in Mind Strategy is still the core of this work – Hei Puāwai Waitaha: a flourishing Waitaha. This is a greater Christchurch where people belong to positive and inclusive communities and actively lead the life they want. The idea of ‘recovery’ has always been an important part of this vision. The Psychosocial Committee continues to ensure the Shared Programme of Action brings together activities that alleviate distress, enhance wellbeing and support adaptation.

Community in Mind aims to help people and communities in greater Christchurch rebuild their health and wellbeing. It guides agencies, organisations and community groups to develop, target and coordinate their activities to support this.

How Community in Mind works

The Community in Mind Strategy provides the context and shared vision and principles for psychosocial recovery in greater Christchurch. It identifies actions in three focus areas: community-led, communication and engagement and innovative services.

The Shared Programme of Action expands on these actions, by outlining which agencies, organisations and groups are carrying out work aligned with these actions – what they’re doing, when they’re doing it and how it all connects together.

The Shared Programme of Action is a practical tool for the Psychosocial Committee – making visible some of the Committee’s collective knowledge about its work and context. It is not intended to be a register of all activities under way in the city although it is publicly available. The Shared Programme of Action is updated annually.

The agencies, organisations and groups that are actively part of the Psychosocial Committee include:

  • All Right? Campaign;
  • Canterbury District Health Board, including Community and Public Health, Specialist Mental Health, and Planning and Funding;
  • Earthquake Commission;
  • Earthquake Support Coordination Service Governance;
  • Land Information New Zealand;
  • Local councils: Christchurch City Council, and Selwyn and Waimakariri District Councils;
  • Mental Health Education and Resource Centre;
  • Mental Health Foundation;
  • Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE);
  • Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM);
  • Ministry of Education;
  • Ministry of Health;
  • Ministry for Pacific Peoples;
  • Ministry of Social Development;
  • New Zealand Red Cross;
  • One Voice Te Reo Kotahi;
  • Pegasus Health;
  • Te Puni Kōkiri;
  • Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu – The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency for the South Island;
  • Te Raranga Inter-church Forum; and
  • University of Canterbury.

Where Community in Mind came from

Professor Sir Peter Gluckman of the Office of the Prime Minister’s Science Advisory Committee recommended a comprehensive and effective psychosocial recovery programme, following the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence.

Community in Mind was developed as a direct result of this recommendation.

  • 2011: A high-level Strategic Planning Framework was prepared collaboratively between a number of local agencies and NGOs and a national forum. As the focus of that framework was high-level and new trends were observed and projections made over the subsequent period, psychosocial recovery was then revisited with the concept of Community in Mind.
    Read the Strategic Planning Framework (May 2011) [PDF 440KB]
  • 2013: Work began on the Community in Mind: Greater Christchurch Psychosocial Recovery Background Document and Strategy.
    Read the Community in Mind: Greater Christchurch Psychosocial Recovery Background Document [PDF 1.3MB]
  • 2014: The Strategy was launched by Associate Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Nicky Wagner and work commenced on the Shared Programme of Action.
  • 2015: The Shared Programme of Action was released.
  • Early 2016: The Canterbury DHB inherited psychosocial recovery responsibilities when CERA was disestablished.
  • December 2016: The revised Shared Programme of Action was released.

The following valuable resources for those interested in psychosocial recovery work were released in December 2016:

These resources largely reflect similar principles and practices to the ones in greater Christchurch.

For more information, contact:

Sara Epperson
Ph:+64 3 364 1777

Updates from the Psychosocial Committee

The Greater Christchurch Psychosocial Committee (GCPC) prepares two reports exploring the services and initiatives that are helping to rebuild health and wellbeing in greater Christchurch.

The six-monthly report gives general information about the Committee and its recent achievements. The second report is a record of successes and challenges shared by Committee partners over a six month period.

Previous Greater Christchurch Psychosocial Committee Reports

Some Community in Mind services and initiatives

Explore the stories of services and initiatives that are helping to rebuild health and wellbeing in greater Christchurch in the Community in Mind profiles below. These are just a few of many examples of past and continuing initiatives:

Media for launch of the Community in Mind strategy

Page last updated: 13/09/2018

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