When silence hides the struggle
When young people are struggling with their mental health, the hardest part is often asking for help. For many students, finding the right moment, or words, to express how they’re feeling can be overwhelming.
That silence is something the O’Leary family from Hawke’s Bay know all too well. After losing their son, Reid, to suicide shortly after his 21st birthday, the family resolved to take practical steps to prevent others from suffering in silence.
“We don’t want another family to go through what we did,” says Russell Borschmann, spokesperson for the Reid O’Leary Charitable Trust.
Turning heartbreak into hope
Out of tragedy came a powerful mission: to help schools identify and support students showing early signs of distress. Through community fundraising events, the Trust has united local schools and families behind a shared goal, ensuring every young person feels seen, heard, and supported.
With the help of Linewize Pulse, a digital wellbeing check-in tool, the Trust is bringing this vision to life. The initiative has already reached nearly 10,000 students across 23 Hawke’s Bay schools, providing teachers with real-time visibility into how students are coping and enabling earlier intervention before small struggles become crises.
Real-time insight that saves time and lives
Every day, school staff encounter students who are struggling but can’t find the words to ask for help. Pulse gives schools a way to see those invisible patterns — by asking students to reflect on their wellbeing through short, regular digital check-ins.
When a student indicates they’re not okay, staff are alerted so they can follow up with care. Over time, this visibility helps schools track broader wellbeing trends, supporting pastoral care planning and resource allocation.
“Technology can’t replace empathy,” says Andrew Sylvester, Linewize School Wellbeing Specialist. “But it can give teachers and caregivers the early warning they need to intervene before it’s too late.”
A growing movement across New Zealand
Across Aotearoa, more than 200 schools, supporting over 64,000 students are now using Pulse. Each check-in represents a moment of reflection, a spark of connection, and sometimes, a life-saving conversation.
The momentum in Hawke’s Bay is a powerful example of what’s possible when communities, schools, and technology come together to prioritise student wellbeing.
By Jazmin Mignaquy
