About Us -Whānau and family Addiction Support

The Brave Hearts Story

The founders of Brave Hearts NZ are both mothers of a child who has struggled with an addiction to methamphetamine. Because of their own experiences, they are passionate about supporting other families in similar situations.

Brave Hearts NZ has been providing support group meetings in the Bay of Plenty since 2016, in Auckland since 2018 and Hamilton and the South Island since 2019. They now have volunteers around New Zealand to offer support with regular meetings and monthly Zoom calls.

The response from the community has been considerable and indicates clearly that the support being provided is helping and much needed.

Meet our team

How are we helping?

Brave Hearts NZ facilitates group education and discussion meetings, provides phone support, group, and individual support sessions – both in person and by Zoom online meetings. Our Whānau Toolkit helps educate around boundaries, consequences and self-care and can be discussed in person or via Zoom online.

We also arrange referrals to other professional service providers for those who need it.

Our Services

Why this matters

Support

Brave Hearts helps people to not feel so 'alone' or 'shamed' as they struggle with having an addicted family member, a person who has changed from the individual they knew and loved to someone who is often violent and unreasonable and can be a threat to the safety of family members and the wider community.

Community

This is a widespread issue within our communities and affecting many families from all walks of life. Young New Zealanders are seriously affected by having parents who are addicted to substance abuse. Many are having to be raised by relatives including grandparents, and the toll upon these young people is significant.

Recommendations

Brave Hearts provides recommendations as to what support is appropriate for them to offer the addict and supports them when they have to make hard decisions about how the addict may interact, or not, with other family members. The support contributes to the safety of family members and advises them as to what organisations within the community they could go to for help.

Information

In support group meetings, our freephone line and education sessions, Brave Hearts provide families with the information they need to keep themselves safe from the addicted person, where to go to for help and how to look at breaking the cycle of drug use.

Our Vision, Mission & Values