Our Vision
for our community is “Mentally Healthy Parents”
Our Mission
To encourage and support parents who are experiencing a decline in mental wellbeing relating to, or resulting from, pregnancy, childbirth and parenting within the first 2,000 days (pregnancy to 5 years).
Our Values
Manaaki – respect and aroha for each other
Stronger Together – sharing and growing from lived experience
Integrity – in all we do
Our Purpose
- To provide support services to parents (matua) and their whānau who are experiencing a decline in mental wellbeing relating to, or resulting from, pregnancy, childbirth and parenting during the first 2,000 days
- To foster and encourage the development of services in partnership with Maori working within the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi for the benefit of those parents and their whānau supported by us
- To foster and encourage the development of services in partnership with other ethnic and diverse groups for the benefit of those parents and their whānau supported by us
- To work with the national perinatal network to support the development and delivery of education, advocacy and research in perinatal mental health
Our Background
Postnatal Depression Family/Whānau New Zealand was created in 2007 as a charitable trust by a group of
concerned medical professionals and parents who had themselves been affected by anxiety, depression
and other issues related to a decline in perinatal mental wellbeing. In 2009 the medical professionals
became part of a national umbrella group which became Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa (PADA)
in 2015.
The trust continued operating under the name Postnatal Depression Canterbury and focused on providing
community based practical support for parents and whānau.
In March 2020 the trust’s board decided to change our name to Perinatal Wellbeing Canterbury (PWC) so
that our operating name better reflects our mission. We moved to a Peer Supporter support model as
this provides the best support for our clients.
In 2022 the Trust name was changed to Perinatal Wellbeing Canterbury Trust and the trust deed updated to reflect the changes in our service and support model.