MentalHunts aiming to break down barriers around mental health and firearms
For MentalHunts co-founder Glen Thurston, the conversations around mental health and firearms legislation deeply personal.
The father, builder and passionate hunter has spent much of his life navigating depression, burnout and alcohol abuse. Those experiences eventually led him to launch MentalHunts alongside videographer and storyteller Ned Brannigan.
Together, the pair are working to create a platform focused on mental health education, support and firearm safety within New Zealand’s hunting and rural communities.
Brannigan, whose documentary and video work has often centred around mental wellbeing, first connected with Thurston through the “Turn the Corner” project, a campaign highlighting suicide and mental health struggles within the construction industry.
The resulting documentary went on to receive multiple awards around New Zealand and helped spark wider conversations around mental health, particularly within traditionally stoic communities.
Now, through MentalHunts, the pair hope to tackle what Thurston believes is one of the biggest barriers preventing some firearms owners from seeking help early: fear.
“I think society often treats mental health as one single thing, when really it’s a huge spectrum,” Thurston said.
“Someone experiencing grief, anxiety, burnout or depression is very different from someone who is violent or poses a genuine risk to others.
“The concern is that people can start believing that simply admitting they’re struggling mentally will automatically make them unsafe or cost them their firearms licence. That’s not necessarily true, and it’s why education is so important.”
Thurston’s advocacy journey began after his own experience with the mental health system in 2019, following a medically supervised attempt to come off antidepressant medication.
During that process, his firearms licence was revoked, something he said had a major impact on both his personal wellbeing and perspective.
“That’s when I realised how many people in rural and hunting communities might avoid seeking help because they fear losing their firearms licence,” he said.
“I decided I wanted to fight for change and better understanding around the issue.”
Thurston is careful to stress the conversation is not about opposing firearm safety measures.
“Public safety absolutely matters, and there are situations where people should not have access to firearms,” he said.
“Nobody is arguing against that.
“But at the same time, we need a system that encourages people to seek help early, rather than creating fear around asking for support.”
MentalHunts has since grown into a charitable trust and online community, sharing stories from people with lived experience through YouTube videos, surveys and educational content.
A key focus now is the launch of MentalHunts 101, a new programme combining mental health education with practical guidance around firearms legislation and support pathways.
The programme aims to help people better understand what actually happens if someone seeks help for mental health concerns, while also teaching families and communities how to recognise warning signs and support others safely.
“A lot of people are genuinely confused or frightened by the legislation,” Thurston said.
“We want people to understand that getting support for mental health does not automatically mean losing their licence.
“There needs to be balance.”
The initiative has been developed alongside health professionals and advisors, including Te Anau-based rural mental health counsellor Kathryn Wright, whose research has focused on barriers preventing young rural men from seeking help.
Thurston said the wider goal was to normalise conversations around mental wellbeing within often stoic rural and hunting communities.
“Everyone struggles at some point,” he said.
“That should be seen as normal, not something to hide.”
His passion for the issue has also been shaped by the outdoors.
After leaving his former business and moving rurally, Thurston worked on a high country station in the Cardrona Valley, something he describes as life changing.
“Being outdoors, learning new skills and getting away from the pressure of life made a huge difference,” he said.
“Hunting and being in the hills gives people space to think, reset and disconnect from stress.”
MentalHunts first gained national attention through Thurston’s “Turn the Corner” challenge, where he climbed Corner Peak at Lake Hāwea 53 times in 53 days to highlight the suicide rate within New Zealand’s construction industry.
“It wasn’t about fundraising,” he said.
“It was about starting conversations.”
While the topic remains delicate, Thurston believes avoiding the conversation altogether only increases the risk.
“If people avoid doctors or mental health services because they’re worried about punishment or losing their licence, that creates a much bigger long term issue,” he said.
“What we’re trying to do is create better understanding, better education and more trust, so people feel safe enough to reach out before they reach crisis point.”
People can learn more about MentalHunts, follow upcoming workshops and view resources through the organisation’s Instagram, Facebook, YouTube channel and website.
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