About Us

Samaritans of Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne and Waikato

Things on your mind?

Call us Free on 0800 72 66 66

“I work every working hour on the farm but just keep going backwards.”

“I like to have someone to say goodnight to at the end of the day.”

“I’d like to take the chance of sharing 20 minutes with a friend.”

“56 years old and this is all I have ever done. Where am I going to get another job – tell me that?”

“My friends tell me that time will heal, it doesn’t and it hurts more than ever.”

“The demands of running my own business are completely out of control.”

“My boys are in the big city getting into trouble… they like the bright lights.”

“So, this is how it all ends. In some small room thousands of miles away from my family.”

Kia ora

Ma I to tātou pokapuu rohe mai I nga rereketanga te aro ki Ngāi toke koiora. Waiho mātou hei hoa hei hoatu I to tautoko.

Our regional centre welcomes callers from all diversities, facing any of life’s complex issues. Let us become your friend to give you support.

Ways we can help you

Our free 0800 72 66 66 24/7 free phone line is open anytime if you need to talk.

Hundreds of people call us and tell us their troubles and fears. They also tell us what helps them to get through. You may be interested in some of the ways people help themselves to lift their mood.

Here are some examples from our callers which may also help you:

“Sometimes planning coffee with a friend can make a difference. It’s more about having something in the future – even having a future, that sets me back on my feet and helps keep the black dog at bay.”

“I listen to music. There are a couple of … tracks that I love and can lift me out of depression and take me to another place.”

“On evenings when I have spent the day in bed flattened by my thoughts, I give myself one task, one small task, before nightfall. Usually it is to wipe the kitchen bench, or to wipe the bathroom handbasin. There is something about a clean surface that helps me keep a clear mind.”

“I always try to get out beside the sea. There’s something about the waves and the distant horizon and the smell of salt air that calms me. I can sit there and clear my mind of all my worries by watching the waves.”

“My daughter and I go out shopping, it makes such a difference to have someone shopping with you-spot the bargains, share the two for $5 offers, decide what’s the best cheese…..Sharing the daily routine things makes a huge difference when the rest of the time it is only me.”

“I act out vengeance scenarios. What I would say if I ever met him again. It gives me energy and control so I don’t feel a victim.”

“I cook. There’s nothing gives me greater happiness than to be in the kitchen with all those food smells. Even now the smell of chicken stock cooking in the slow cooker gives me a real boost.”

“I talk to my old boyfriend. We went to school together and he really gets me.”

“I accept that it is OK to feel down. Once I accept that I can quietly sit and remember her, the good things we did together, I can even reflect on some of the things that went wrong – the mistakes we made. Allowing myself that time of reflection can be much better than locking it all away – it’s the locking away of the sadness that brings on the bouts of sadness in me.”

Call us and share your self-help techniques, it may make a big difference to someone else’s sadness.

Call us free on 0800 72 66 66

Enquire about Volunteering Today

Call us free on 0800 72 66 66

You can help by volunteering

Are you a good listener?

We are always on the lookout for new people to join our team of volunteers, to provide emotional support to our callers. We look for people with the ability to listen without passing judgement.

You don’t need any formal qualifications or previous experience but a natural ability to listen and remain open minded is essential.

We offer full training and ongoing support. Both the training and telephone duties can now be carried out remotely from the comfort of your own home if required. This reduces any travel time, costs and inconvenience and may suit those based in rural locations.

Typically, once you are trained you will be asked to work one 2 hour shift per week, at your convenience.

As one of our valued volunteers you’ll get to meet people from all walks of life who share the same beliefs. You’ll develop a confidence and the expertise to turn your natural caring instinct, into positive, even life-changing support by phone.

Please contact us now for a volunteer application pack at rotorua.lifelink@xtra.co.nz

You can make a donation

Samaritans are all volunteers, but we need funds to support our regional services and pay for everything from the power bill to the telephone lines that callers call us on 24/7.
This donation will go directly into funding the costs that are incurred by our local office.
If you would like to make a donation of any amount this would be most welcome.

You can donate in any of these easy options:

Go to our Give A Little page here to give by credit/ debit card.
Use the internet to donate directly into our account no: 03 1552 0094855 00
Send a cheque to Lifelink Samaritans, P O Box 2225, Rotorua 3040.

You are entitled to a tax deduction if you have a receipt for your donation. To obtain a receipt please email us at rotorua.lifelink@xtra.co.nz with your first and last name, the amount and the method of donation and we will email you back a receipt. Thank you. We welcome any donation you can afford.

Thank you for making a difference and helping us to help others

Call us free on 0800 72 66 66

Leave a gift in your Will

We know that when you make a Will your first priority is to provide for your loved ones. After they are looked after, you can continue to support the causes that matter to you by leaving a gift to charity.

Remembering Samaritans in your Will is a powerful and lasting way to make sure our helpline is available for generations to come.

There are a number of different ways you can remember Samaritans in your Will depending on your circumstances.

The most effective type of gift is called a residuary legacy. The benefits of this type of gift are that it only relates to the share of your estate left after family, friends and loved ones have been taken care of. Its flexibility also means that it is less likely to need updating over time. It is best to leave your gift for ‘General Purposes’ so that it can be used where the need is greatest. If there is, however, a particular area of our work you’d like to support, please get in touch to discuss the best way to word this.

When you decide to leave a gift to Samaritans in your Will you will need the following information:

Our official name – Lifelink Samaritans Incorporated
Our Charity Registration Number – CC38030
Our address – PO Box 2225, Rotorua 3040

We are available to chat. Click here to email us if you would like to know more…

Other ways you can help us

We are always looking to work with businesses who are passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of New Zealanders.

Benefits include:

Connecting with mental health issues that affect thousands of New Zealanders
Demonstrate a commitment to a good cause
Make a real difference by supporting a long-standing trusted New Zealand charity
Link to strong values that resonate with your employees and numerous target markets

Ways to work with Samaritans:

Financial support including sponsorship
Workplace giving
Raising awareness
Pro bono support such as volunteering, networking and training

As is the case with the people we help, no two corporate relationships are the same. We would love to work with your business to develop a relationship that helps you achieve your organisations’ goals and helps New Zealanders too.

If you’d like to become a sponsor, supporter or a partner – whether it be ongoing, one-off or for a particular project, we would love to talk to you. Please click here to email us today.

Who are we?

Samaritans is a confidential, non-judgemental and non-religious listening and support telephone service operating 24 hour a day for people who may be feeling depressed, lonely, suicidal or just need to talk to someone.

This can make the difference between life and death to many. Our volunteers have been providing this invaluable service to anyone who needs it since 1965 and we provide support to over 3000 callers per year in our region.

Click here to read more about our regional whakapapa.

Technical details

The legal name for our regional office is Lifelink Samaritans or Whai Organa Te Hapari.

Our charities services number is CC38030.

We are a level 4 Accredited Provider approved by The Ministry of Social Development (MSD)

Our vision

Our vision is that fewer people die by suicide.

To achieve this, we are committed to the following values:

Listening, because exploring feelings alleviates distress and helps people to reach a better understanding of their situation and the options open to them.

Confidentiality, because if people feel safe, they are more likely to open up about their feelings.

People making their own decisions wherever possible because we believe that people have the right to find their own solutions and telling people what to do takes responsibility away from them.

Being non-judgemental, because we want people to be able to talk to us without fear of prejudice or rejection.

Human contact, because giving people time, undivided attention and empathy meets a fundamental emotional need and reduced loneliness and despair.

Call us 24/7 free on 0800 72 66 66

A big thank you

A huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers for supporting our regional centre. We could not provide this service without you. We receive no government funding, so financial and in-kind support from donors, funders and sponsors is essential to help keep our phone lines open.

A huge thank you and acknowledgement for the generous support we have received to support our most vulnerable and provide great wellness outcomes: