Are you struggling with the pressures of startup life, and think you would benefit from getting professional support for your mental health and wellbeing?

Find out how to access counselling support

The counselling service is delivered by Benestar, a leading wellbeing and employee assistance programme provider in New Zealand. 

This service is free for startup founders. Callaghan Innovation will cover the cost until the end of 2023 at which point we will review this initiative. 

If you’re a Xero subscriber you can also access this service through their programme.

Please note that the counselling services on offer here are only available to businesses based in New Zealand.

Select the option below that best describes your business to find out what counselling support you can access.

The Xero Assistance Programme (XAP) offers Xero Starter, Standard, Premium or Ultimate subscribers, their employees and families access to three free, confidential counselling sessions with Benestar. Find out if you’re eligible and how to access XAP here.

Note that we define a startup as an innovative and scalable business.

For New Zealand based startup founders that are not Xero subscribers, Benestar offers three free confidential sessions with a counsellor. This service is funded by Callaghan Innovation and is only available to startup founders. You do not need to be a Callaghan Innovation customer.

Contact Benestar via email counsellingsupportnz@benestar.com or phone 0800 360 364 and give them the code CIFCP.

For information about other kinds of wellbeing support go back to Founder Wellbeing.

If your business is not a startup, you are not eligible for the free counselling services on offer here, but please look at the other kinds of wellbeing support available on our Founder Wellbeing page.

‹ Back to Founder Wellbeing page