Our Vision

To be a vibrant mutual support organisation available to all in need throughout New Zealand and a respected leader in the mental health community.

Our Mission

GROW will continue to be a unique holistic community mental health movement. Since 1957, Grow has been expanding and growing around the world. Its members will continue to strive for maturity through mutual help and self activation.

Our Aims

For every person who comes to GROW, we aim to help by

1. Gaining a new perspective on life, learning that there is a plausible explanation for your troubles and work to find a new way of looking at yourself, the world around you and what the future might look like

2. Experiencing genuine empathy within a community of trusting and caring relationships

3. Being listened to and understood, not judged

4. Offering clear and positive communication

TRUTH

‘I was in some ways successful in life (both real and according to popular myths). In other ways I was an anxious mess of a man. Life was full of confusions and basic unhappiness. Sometimes things went very wrong. More than 30 years ago I joined a GROW group. That move has changed my life around, many times. In GROW, initiated by people who had usually been at some point, far more broken than I, I have learned about the true meaning and importance of having good friends. My life is so different from the way the trend suggested it was to go. I believe I correctly understood the peril I was in’ – Peter

““Mental health comes from thinking, speaking, and living truly i.e., conforming to what is real.” (Principle 14, The Grow Journey)

FRIENDSHIP

‘I had been suffering from the effects of a relationship break up. Without me realising it, the friends that I thought I had were not my friends and I was very much on my own. All my thoughts were going around and around in my head without stopping. I went along to a Grow meeting and discovered other people and heard ideas other than my own. I discovered the truth of friendship and the huge value of diversity of understanding’ – Freddy

“Among human relationships, friendship is the special key to mental health. As I am healed and harmonised by responding to the offer of true friendship, so the measure of my maturity is my capacity to be a true friend.” (Principle 5, The Grow Journey)

CHARACTER

‘I was depressed and desperately alone and had developed the habit of talking to myself. But when I discovered a Grow Group I found that they not only listened but also seemed to understand where I was at – they were accepting of me. I began to feel all was not lost.’ – Paula

“Character marks who we are as a person; it highly influences the choices that we make in our lives. Having good character means to embody such attributes as honesty, integrity, courage and loyalty amongst other important virtues that promote good habits and behaviour.” (Principle 15, The Grow Journey).