Sir John Kirwan hopes a funding boost from the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) for a wellbeing platform he co-founded will help increase access to mental health help at work.
ACC says it's teamed with Mentemia as part of its plan to improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of New Zealanders in the workplace.
It comes as ACC data shows a total of $377 million was paid out for work-related mental injuries in the 2019/20 period alone.
Mental health campaigner and former All Black Sir John co-founded 'Mentemia' in 2018. It's now a wellbeing app featuring 'digital humans' that can act as mental health coaches and counsellors.
Sir John says organisations will operate better if mental wellbeing is baked into the workplace.
"We want to make sure people put their mental health first," he told The AM Show on Tuesday.
"It's about prevention for us, and I think that's why the ACC is getting involved."
Sir John said it means more businesses will be able to invest in professional help.
"Organisations have to take that responsibility and try and help their people and then those that need it should get it.
"I think that's what we need to create [to] free up the public system a wee bit."
While recognising COVID-19 has brought difficulties with it, he believed the pandemic has driven increasing awareness about mental wellbeing.
"A lot of the leaders are telling us now - 'it's only may but it feels like it's October/November.' So [it's] the post-COVID stress and pressure and burn-out feeling people are having.
"There's little accidents happening a wee bit more and people are actually being open about their stress - it's not about the HR managers right now, it's about the whole organisations.
"I think, right now, people are realising… it's about mental health and safety in any industry," he explained.
After more than 15 years since Sir John first opened up publicly about his own mental struggles, he's since played a key role in starting much-needed conversations about depression and mental illness. He said he wants those conversations to continue.
"You can't see it - but we need to be really open about it and we need to talk about it."
