Men's Wellbeing · New Zealand

A space for
every man's
story.

Confidential coaching and support for men navigating pressure, change, and the quiet weight of things unsaid.

Reframe

To see the same situation through a different lens. Not to minimise what you're carrying — but to find the perspective that moves you forward.

Navigate

Every man's terrain is different. Navigating isn't about having a map — it's about having someone who will walk the ground with you.

Fortify

Strength comes from knowing yourself — your patterns, your values, your people. Fortify is the work of becoming more resilient, more grounded, more fully yourself.

Why The
Shepherds?

Speaking to a group

Mike Andrews has always been the one people talk to. A man who listens, who notices when something's off, who stays in the conversation most would change the subject on. His own experiences with mental health taught him why that matters — and what it costs when there's nowhere to take it.

He's also a solo dad raising two young boys. He doesn't speak about men's wellbeing from a distance — he lives the same balancing act he helps other men with: showing up for his sons while carrying his own load and knowing how much both of those things ask of you.

That's who The Shepherds is for. The man who isn't in freefall, but is not himself either. Because the real bravery isn't surviving the bottom — it's being honest enough to say my world's a little out of balance while there's still room to move.

Mike knows something about the moments that ask everything of a person — and about what they leave behind. In 2024 he was awarded the New Zealand Bravery Medal (NZBM) for his actions during the 2021 New Lynn terror attack, when a man known to authorities and under active surveillance carried out a knife attack in a West Auckland supermarket. Mike moved toward the danger to protect the victims.

He doesn't lead with that. But the work didn't end when the day did — the trauma, the psychological toll, and the quiet reshaping of a life afterward are things he still carries. He knows grief, too. In the last ten years he has buried eleven people.

He understands from the inside what it is to be changed by loss, to do the slow work of finding your feet again, and to keep walking — for yourself, and for the people who need you. That's not theory to him. It's the ground he offers other men from.

How the work is different

Traditional counselling can be open-ended — sit with your feelings, take as long as it takes, and often leave without an answer. That's not how most men are wired. We usually already know something's gone wrong. What we want is simple: tell me how to fix it.

The Shepherds is built around that instinct. Ten weeks. A plan. Real change you can feel — not years of circling the same ground.

And it's built on lived experience; not just theory. Mike has done the climb himself, which means he can say with honesty that it's possible — that positive change comes from being willing to be vulnerable, and that the walk is always shorter with someone beside you who's walked it before.

— Mike Andrews, NZBM

Our Services

Three spaces.
All for men.

In Leadership

For men in roles where speaking openly isn't an option. Restructures, takeovers, the relentless weight of accountability — and the quiet burden of carrying it home to a partner who sees the provider, not the person.

In Change

Grief, separation, co-parenting, a career that no longer fits. Change doesn't ask permission. This is a space to process it at your pace, with someone who won't rush you toward the answer.

In Memorium

Recent law changes now give men with a terminal diagnosis a different kind of choice. This is a space to speak. To set down regrets, guilt, or wishes — including how you'd like to be remembered.

The Ten Weeks

A programme with
shape and soul.

Ten weeks. Three Wellbeing Radar check-ins. One honest conversation at the centre of it all.

Weeks
1–4

Building Rapport & Unpacking the Story

We take time. No rush to solutions. The first four weeks are about creating the conditions for honest conversation.

↗ Wellbeing Radar — Baseline
End of
Week 4

Wellbeing Radar — Progress Check

You'll receive your Wellbeing Radar by email automatically. Four questions. Same ones as the start. The shifts you see often surprise you.

↗ Automated Radar Sent
Week 5

Review, Reflect & Celebrate

We sit with the data together. Identify themes. Name any shifts — and honour them. Even small movement matters.

Weeks
6–8

Continue to Build & Navigate

The story continues. We go deeper, follow threads, and begin to integrate what is emerging.

End of
Week 8

Wellbeing Radar — Final Check

Your third Radar arrives automatically. By now, the comparison against your baseline tells its own story.

↗ Automated Radar Sent
Week 9

Integrate & Make Meaning

We review all three Radars together. What has shifted? What are you taking forward?

Week 10

Honour & Celebrate

The final session is yours. We reflect on the journey and acknowledge the courage it took to show up.

How your sessions are kept

Every session is recorded and noted using Pocket AI, a dedicated note-taking device. It means Mike is listening, not writing — and it means there's an accurate record of what was said, for you and for him, should a session ever need to be revisited. Notes are held for six months.

Begin Your Journey

Let's start
with you.

This takes around 10 minutes. Answer each section honestly — once you move on, that section locks. Your first instinct is what matters most.

Before we begin — your safety

Have you recently experienced thoughts of hopelessness, self-harm, or suicide?

In Memorium

Get in touch.

This is a sacred and confidential space. Share as little or as much as you wish. We'll respond with care and discretion.

Your message has been received. Thank you for reaching out. We will respond with care and complete discretion.

Thank you for
your honesty.

That took courage. What you're carrying matters — and you deserve the right support, right now.

The Shepherds is a non-crisis coaching service and we are not equipped to provide emergency mental health care. We would not be doing right by you if we proceeded.

Please reach out to one of the following services — they are available now, they are free, and they are there for exactly this moment.

Free call or text — 24/7

1737

Need to talk? Call or text 1737 any time to speak with a trained counsellor. Free, confidential, available around the clock.

Lifeline — 24/7

0800 543 354

Lifeline provides crisis support and suicide prevention services. Free to call, any time of day or night.

Suicide Crisis Helpline — 24/7

0508 828 865

A dedicated helpline for people in or near a suicidal crisis. Trained counsellors, free and confidential.

Emergency services

111

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 111 now.

When you're in a safer place, The Shepherds will be here. There is no rush, and there is no judgement. We hope to hear from you when the time is right.

By men, for men

The network
is growing.

The Shepherds is more than one man. The vision is a movement — men across the country, each carrying this work into their own community, so that any man who reaches out finds someone who understands.

We're building that network carefully, one Shepherd at a time. The men who join will share something in common: lived experience of real adversity, the self-work that followed, and the training to hold another man's story with skill as well as heart.

If that speaks to something in you, register your interest below. We'll be in touch as the network takes shape.

Thank you for putting your hand up. We've received your interest and will be in touch as the network grows. It means a great deal that you'd want to walk alongside other men.
Privacy

Your privacy,
plainly put.

The Shepherds exists because men need somewhere safe to put things down. That only works if you can trust what happens to what you share. Here's exactly how we handle it — no fine print, no jargon.

What we collect

Only what you give us through the enquiry form: your name, contact details, region, and what you choose to tell us about why you're reaching out — including your Wellbeing Radar responses. Nothing is gathered without you typing it in.

Where it goes

Straight to Mike, and only Mike. Your enquiry arrives in a private inbox and is used for one purpose: to prepare your call and shape your programme. It is never sold, never shared with third parties, and never used for marketing.

How it's held

Your information is kept securely and no longer than it needs to be. You can ask to see what we hold, correct it, or have it deleted entirely — at any time, for any reason, no questions asked. Just ask.

Session recordings

Sessions are recorded and noted using Pocket AI, a dedicated note-taking device. This lets Mike stay fully present in the conversation rather than writing notes, and it gives both of you an accurate record if a session is ever in question. Recordings are kept for six months.

An important boundary

The Shepherds is a non-crisis coaching service, not an emergency or clinical one. If you're in immediate distress, please call or text 1737 — free, confidential, available any time. It's the right support for that moment, and reaching out is the right move.

Questions about your privacy? Raise them on your call, or get in touch any time — we're glad to answer.