There has been a "significant" rise in people accessing the mental health helpline, with Ministry of Health saying 544 people called, texted or accessed help online yesterday following Friday's Christchurch terrorist attack.
Director-General Ashley Bloomfield told media that yesterday saw five times the usual volume of people seeking help via the 1737 mental health helpline.
By 2pm today there had been over 300 contacts made.
"There has been a significant increase in use of that line from people both in Canterbury, and from around the country.
"They are staffed up to accommodate and respond to those calls."
He said it included a wide range of people, including individuals who were directly caught up in the attacks in the mosques, through to ordinary New Zealanders from around the rest of the country.
Sixty per cent of the calls were answered within 20 seconds, with the average call length 38 minutes.
"These are not just fleeting interventions, they are substantial discussions providing real support to people both in Canterbury and wider New Zealand," he said.
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