Ian Jones shares his journey to better understand his heritage and connect with his Ngāi Tahu roots.

Feeling stressed? You’re not alone — 1 in 4 New Zealanders face mental health challenges*, and these can often occur alongside other health issues. For example, depression is known to increase the risk of developing heart problems. At AIA Vitality, we’ve got your back!
Our AIA Vitality Mental Wellbeing Benefit empowers you to support your mental fitness. As with physical health, regularly nurturing your mental wellbeing helps to manage stress, overcome challenges and feel more resilient.
We believe that taking action is the key to reducing mental health issues. Our programme offers evidence-based activities in areas like mindfulness, sleep, exercise and nutrition. With our Assess, Learn, Act approach, you’ll have the tools and guidance you need to build on your mental wellbeing — no matter where you’re starting from.
We’re also proud to partner with The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand who share a common goal to encourage all New Zealanders to make positive changes to their health and wellbeing to live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives. You can also support The Mental Health Foundation by donating your $5 Active Rewards.
Mental wellbeing is about feeling good, staying resilient, and being able to cope with life’s ups and downs. Strong mental wellbeing leads to greater happiness, better sleep and improved physical health. Investing in your mental fitness not only boosts your confidence and happiness, but it also helps you achieve more in life and contribute positively to your community.
By focusing on improving your mental wellbeing, you’ll be better equipped to handle whatever life throws your way and feel your best — inside and out.
Your mental wellbeing is closely linked to your daily habits. What you do with your body can seriously impact how you feel. Here’s a breakdown of what’s really making a difference:
Getting active is a game-changer! People who move more are less likely to feel down. Those hitting 10,000 steps a day have half the risk of depression compared to those only doing 2,000 steps.
Working out 2.5 hours per week boosts mental health by over 50%, while 4.5 hours per week increases it by 65%.
So, whether it’s walking, dancing, or hitting the gym, get moving and your mind will thank you!
What you eat plays a huge role in how you feel. A high sugar intake from processed snack or drinks correlates with feeling down. Switching to water or a healthy snack like almonds or fresh fruit can positively impact your mood.
Sleep is your mind’s best friend! If you’re only getting 4 hours of sleep a night, you’re more likely to feel low. However, if you’re getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night, you’ll be in a much better place mentally.
So, make sleep a priority, and watch your mood improve..
Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can harm your mental health. Smokers are more likely to feel depressed than non-smokers. As an AIA Vitality member, you have free access to Allen Carr's Quit Smoking and Quit Alcohol programmes. Quit the habit for better mental and physical health!
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As an AIA Vitality member, you can earn points for participating in activities to learn about your mental health and take action to improve it.
There’s something for everyone with our 3-part approach, which can earn you up to 6,500 points:
Whether you’re starting out on your health and wellbeing journey or already on to your third marathon, the AIA Vitality Content Hub is your go-to for science-backed inspiration and advice. Our Think Well content provides tools and information to help cultivate a healthy frame of mind.
Read some of our top frequently asked questions about AIA Vitality Mental Wellbeing Benefit.
The Mental Wellbeing Benefit is designed to help all AIA Vitality members be proactive when it comes to their mental wellbeing. Just like physical fitness, we believe that AIA Vitality members should be regularly working on their mental fitness so they (or their loved ones) can effectively deal with difficulties they may face. We’ve chosen evidence-based activities and sourced best-in-class providers across the key areas that contribute to mental wellbeing. These include mindfulness, social connectedness, sleep, physical activity, nutrition and mental wellbeing coaching. There is something for everyone in our Learn, Act and Chat components of the benefit.
Bite-size pieces of content will help you learn skills and techniques which you can use to help manage and improve your mental wellbeing. Wherever you are on your wellbeing journey, earn 25 points when you engage with our content; up to a total of 500 points every 6 months.
The total points for the Mental Wellbeing Benefit are capped at 5,000 points, with different point earning opportunities allowing you to personalise your mental wellbeing experience. This includes:
Read, watch, listen, and learn with Groov to earn up to 1,200 points.
Meditate with one of our partner apps to earn 25 points or 75 points per week, and up to 2,000 points per membership year.
Tracking your sleep and logging at least 7 hours of sleep per day to earn 10 points per day, and up to 2,000 points per membership year.
You can also do the Mental Wellbeing Assessment and earn up to 1500 points annually (taken twice a year, for 750 points each time). As this is part of the AIA Vitality Age Assessment, these points are counted separately from your 5000 Mental Wellbeing Points total; meaning you can earn up to 6,500 points overall.
Download one of the compatible apps listed. Link it and sync it to your fitness tracker (Google Fit/Apple Health) and the AIA Vitality app. Meditate for at least 10 minutes a day and you’ll earn 25 points. You can earn up to 75 points per week for tracking your meditation .
*https://mentalhealth.org.nz/news/post/25-of-new-zealanders-have-poor-mental-wellbeing
This article produced by Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand has been used throughout this publication as the source of factual information. AIA make no representations to its accuracy and is used for general information purposes only.
**https://www.aia.com.au/content/dam/au-wise/en/docs/reports/AIA-Supporting-mental-wellbeing-with-analytics-and-behaviour-change.pdf
Copyright © 2025, AIA New Zealand Limited (Company Number: 352806), and its affiliates and subsidiaries. All rights reserved. The information contained on this website is current as at March 2025 and is subject to change at any time. It contains only a summary of the AIA Vitality programme effective March 2025. AIA does not warrant or make any representations regarding the materials on this website in terms of their correctness, accuracy, reliability, or otherwise. For full terms and conditions on AIA Vitality partners, benefits and rewards, view the AIA Vitality terms and conditions. You can also view the AIA Vitality premium adjustment rules. Partner terms and conditions may also apply.