MATES in Construction’s latest industry wellbeing survey — conducted with support from ASB and engaging more than 2,000 construction workers — shows encouraging progress in the sector’s mental health picture, while reinforcing that targeted support for the most at-risk groups remains critical.
85% of respondents reported good overall wellbeing — a positive result that reflects the industry’s sustained investment in mental health awareness over the past decade. But headline numbers can obscure important variation, and the survey’s deeper findings highlight where work still needs to be done.
Who Is Most at Risk
MATES’ research consistently identifies subgroups within the construction workforce who carry disproportionate mental health risk. Sole traders and small business owners face unique pressures — financial uncertainty, isolation, and the weight of running a business without the support structures of a larger organisation. Workers in transient employment or those who have recently changed jobs show elevated distress indicators. And younger workers, particularly those in the first few years of their career, are navigating new environments without the social capital that comes with longer industry experience.
The survey also highlights the ongoing challenge of reaching workers who are not connected to larger employers — subcontractors, day labourers, and people between jobs who don’t have an employer providing access to wellbeing resources.
What’s Working
MATES’ Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Community Connectors programme have been shown to meaningfully improve workers’ confidence to intervene when they see a colleague struggling. Companies that have embedded mental health first aid training into their induction and ongoing development programmes report better culture and faster identification of workers who need support.
The normalisation of mental health conversation in the workplace — driven partly by MATES, partly by broader cultural shifts, and partly by visible leadership from industry bodies and major contractors — has reduced the stigma that previously made it nearly impossible for workers to seek help.
Where to Get Support
MATES in Construction’s 24/7 helpline is available at 0800 111 315. The Mental Health Foundation’s 1737 line (call or text) is also available around the clock. For employers looking to build MATES training into their organisation, information is available at mates.net.nz.