Work Counts

19/12/2025

As we come to the end of 2025, we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been part of the Work Counts journey this year - our partners, funders, workshop participants and the many people whose commitment drives employment support across mental health and other social services every day.

We have enjoyed connecting with teams around the motu to both see and hear about your incredible mahi. Your passion and commitment really stands out, and it’s inspiring to see the impact being made.

This season is a time to pause and reflect on the collective effort that makes progress possible.

Our office will close on Friday, 19 December and reopen on Monday, 12 January 2026. We look forward to seeing you in the new year!

03/12/2025

Why are relationships so important when engaging with employers?

How can the "three cups of tea" approach help employment specialists?

That's where our Three Cups of Tea workshop comes in!

In IPS employment support, this is key to creating meaningful opportunities for people with lived experience of health challenges. By prioritising trust, understanding and respect, you’ll learn how to strengthen partnerships with employers and educational providers alike.

This is increasingly evident when we're experiencing a tough labour market for people seeking work opportunities.

Check out our workshop dates for the new year - starting in Rotorua with Three Cups of Tea!

21/11/2025

In our Three Cups of Tea training, we talk about the importance of employer engagement - how to build a strong relationship and maintain it. Like any relationship, our hope is that both sides benefit from working together so that it's an enjoyable and productive experience!

IPS Implementation Manager Robert Williams shared some great reflections from a recent chat with an employer, such as:
- Employer engagement is valuable even when it doesn’t result in a job
- Positive conversations build trust and future opportunities
- Employers show care and understanding when they take time to consider requests
- Persistence is essential - IPS employment support is about long-term relationship-building, not just immediate placements
- Every interaction contributes to inclusion by normalising conversations about giving people a second chance.

Did you know that the Work Counts IPS Toolkit also has information for employers? Click on the link to view our information sheet:

Gain an understanding of how partnering with a provider who offers an IPS employment...

28/08/2025

Rob has just finished two days of delivering our 'From Assessment to Action' and 'Three Cups of Tea' workshops in Waihōpai Invercargill, with attendees from APM, Work Opportunities, Choices NZ (IHC New Zealand), Whanake House and Ministry of Social Development NZ.

"I got to hear of some great success stories and experiences from the local employment support providers and even had some out-of-towners from Dunedin join us too. Appreciate you guys making the trip down! I hope you found these workshops helpful to your ongoing mahi."

Thank you again to all who were able to make it, South Alive Invercargill for use of the colourful venue, and Koha Kai for the awesome catering across both days.

If you would like Work Counts to come to your area, please reach out! We can offer our foundational workshops in the IPS approach, or even design bespoke training for your organisation or team.

Visit our website and check out the next round of Work Counts workshops coming up in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Ōtautahi Christchurch in October (see link in comments).

25/07/2025

Calling all practitioners and providers in the Southland region!

Work Counts looks forward to coming to Southland in August - our first time to deliver workshops in Waihōpai Invercargill! If you're a practitioner or provider, we warmly invite you to register for one (or both) of the trainings on offer.

Three Cups of Tea (26 August) is about increasing engagement and confidence with employers - and it's one of our most in demand workshops. In the current labour market, relationships and connection are more important than ever!

From Assessment to Action (27 August) is our new workshop launched earlier this year, based on feedback from providers. This half-day training session is about developing practical expertise in vocational assessments and tailored employment planning.

To find out more and register your place, visit our website (link in comments).

21/07/2025

Last month, Work Counts and The People's Project (part of the Wise Group) hosted a special guest from Sweden: Kristina Carlsson Stylianides, a doctoral student at Lund University's School of Social Work. She gave a seminar at Harakeke House in Manukau.

It was great to hear about Kristina's research in person - and bring together mental health, housing and employment support representatives in the same room!

As part of her research, Kristina is investigating Housing First and IPS in various municipalities in Sweden.

Read more on our website (link in comments).

18/06/2025

You spoke, we listened.

Last week we were proud to launch a new workshop 'From Assessment to Action: A Guide to Employment Planning.'

Our thanks to attendees from Workwise, Ka P**a Ka Ora Emerge Aotearoa, Ember Korowai Takitini, Mahitahi Trust, Pathways and Equip Mental Health Services for making the workshop a success (see photo). We appreciate the energy, positivity and humour that you all brought on the day but also your willingness to share experiences of your mahi so that it could inspire and help others.

This new training was created with employment consultants in mind, and we wanted to make sure it would benefit everybody regardless of experience or tenure.

“It was so specific to our job (as employment consultants), everything was perfectly relevant and useful. I found it to be very informative.” - Training participant

We are excited to be rolling out this workshop in Taranaki and Wellington in the coming month (2 and 31 July). Find out more and register via our website (link in comments).

11/06/2025

Along with the Wise Group, we are pleased to welcome Kristina Carlsson Stylianides to Aotearoa New Zealand later this month - for a seminar sharing experiences from Sweden on the implementation of two evidence-based practices, IPS employment support and Housing First.

For those based in Auckland and interested in the findings of her research, please join us on 23 June at Harakeke House in Manukau.

Registrations are essential, via the Work Counts website (link in comments).

23/05/2025

Thank you to everyone who attended our IPS employment support practitioner meet-up in Manukau on Tuesday.

It was a pleasure to connect in person, work together on some of our regional planning, and hear from the Work and Income team (Ministry of Social Development NZ) as part of further relationship-building.

The Work and Income session was highly informative, it was great to hear people’s questions, and it was clear to see the shared passion about supporting people in our communities.

The IPS employment support approach demonstrates positive change in action and for many people employment is not just an outcome, but a vital part in living well.

To clinical folk in Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora community mental health teams, Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development NZ) and employment support providers Reconnect Family Services, Workwise, Ka P**a Ka Ora Emerge Aotearoa, Odyssey Trust, Ember Korowai Takitini and Mahitahi Trust - your work is inspirational!

23/05/2025

Be the first to experience our new workshop dedicated to vocational assessment and action planning!

Following feedback from IPS employment support providers, we are excited to launch a new workshop "From assessment to action: A guide to employment planning".

This half-day training session will help you conduct comprehensive assessments and individualise employment plans.

🔹 If you’re an employment consultant, career advisor, Work and Income case manager or anyone supporting a person with their individual goal planning, this training is for you.
🔹 In this workshop, you’ll learn how to turn conversations and assessments with people into useful documents.
🔹 Understand the level of detail needed and become familiar with how AI and other tools can help.

The first of these workshops is happening on 10 June (in-person) or 17 June (online). Register via our website - link in comments!

Develop practical expertise in vocational assessments and tailored employment planning to achieve impactful employment outcomes.

14/05/2025

Thank you for the valuable feedback from recent workshop participants! April saw Robert Williams travel to Ōtautahi Christchurch to deliver a training on "Three Cups of Tea: Developing Employer Relationships". Despite a state of emergency being announced during his visit, spirits on the day remained high!

“It was a pleasure spending time with employment specialists from Ka P**a Ka Ora Emerge Aotearoa, Choices NZ (IHC New Zealand), Odyssey House Christchurch, Catapult Employment Services, SkillWise and Pegasus Health. The work you all do is truly inspiring, and I hope the workshop added valuable skills to your kete.”

"A big thank you to Emerge Aotearoa for welcoming us and hosting the workshop at their offices. Special thanks to Thrive Catering for the delicious kai!"

Although Robert forgot to take any photos of our attendees (again!) and the weather wasn't ideal for capturing stunning images of the city, we hope to be back in the near future.

Our next Three Cups of Tea training is happening in Wellington on 30 July, register your place via our website. See link in comments.

We are also taking expressions of interest from providers in Invercargill. Send us a DM if you’re in Southland and interested in coming along!

07/05/2025

In looking back at highlights from 2024, we’re pleased to share a snapshot that is full of relationships and learnings. Along with so many others, we hold fast to the belief in employment as a health intervention.

Last year, we were pleased to see growth in IPS employment support across Aotearoa New Zealand as well as a real focus on improvement through the high number of fidelity reviews that were conducted.

Read more about the impact we've made on our website (link in comments).