A group of passionate Kiwis, including some of New Zealand's favourite former athletes, are taking part in a gruelling physical and mental challenge to raise awareness and money for youth mental health in New Zealand.

The Due Drop Hope Challenge, sponsored by Due Drop Foundation, is a 16-day relay event to swim/bike/run the length of the North Island, from Cape Reinga to the Beehive in Wellington, to raise awareness about the struggles young people face accessing counselling, despite a $1.5 billion investment by the current government.

Kicking off on February 14, it will be run, cycled and swam by All Black Hall of Famer, Ian Jones MNZM, better known as the "kamo kid", and former World Triathlon champion, Commonwealth Games Triathlon champion and Commonwealth Games swimmer Rick Wells.

Other participants include:

• David Mitchell – Auckland businessman and keen swimmer

• Richard Hart – Auckland real estate guru and comic relief expert

• Karim Rostami – Polio virus survivor for whom walking again was considered a miracle by doctors, who fled to New Zealand from the Taliban regime when he was just 8 years-old, charity junkie

• Geoff Everson – Auckland IT professional and keen international swimmer

• Mike King – Founder of I Am Hope and Gumboot Friday, mental health advocate, will complete part of the journey

• Richie Barnett – Former international league star, will complete part of the journey

The event will conclude with a hīkoi/walk to Parliament led by Mike King, where he will meet with a government representative to convey the group's concerns regarding the critical need for leadership and decisive action on improving youth mental health in New Zealand.

Due Drop Foundation trustee Richard Jeffery, ONZM, says supporting I Am Hope and Gumboot Friday was a no brainer.

'Due Drop Foundation is about intelligent giving, so it was a simple decision to get in behind I Am Hope as naming sponsor.”

'The wait times for our kids to see a mental health professional are getting longer and it seems we are becoming more reliant on medication to fill the void,” says Mike.

'This challenge is the ideal opportunity to promote our free counselling service Gumboot Friday and inform Kiwis that there is an alternative to these excruciatingly long wait times and medication.”

Ian Jones says the group of likeminded and probably 'somewhat crazy old mates” are putting themselves through their paces to bring to the forefront the hopelessness and profound suffering that afflicts young people in New Zealand, driving New Zealand's 'absolutely tragic” suicide statistics.

'Encouraged by our previous efforts in the Great Barrier Challenge, we hope to raise money and awareness around mental health for Mike King's I Am Hope and Gumboot Friday charities,” says Jones.

'The distance between Cape Reinga and parliament is 1063km, and our goal is to raise enough money to cover 1,063 counselling sessions,” says Jones.

Rick Wells, who led the team in the Great Barrier to Auckland Challenge, raising $350,000 for St John, says the topic of teen suicide in New Zealand is one of national significance.

'New Zealand has one of the highest teenage suicide rates in the world. Everyday our children suffer from depression, anxiety, eating disorders and other mental health challenges, and we need more people to be talking about it, with urgency.

'Most of the participants in our group are not professional or seasoned athletes, but we're putting ourselves through acute pain in the hope of the country taking notice of the pain our children are in,” says Wells.

King, who has been training with the group for the biggest physical challenge of his life, points out once again, legendary Kiwis rise to the occasion to get our rangatahi the help they need.

'Inaction is injustice, and we're taking action. If those in power won't do anything about our kids' suffering, we will, and we are. Who knows if I'll make it out the other end of this, but I am going all in.”

On the way down the North Island, athletes and supporters will visit 16 towns where they will engage with local iwi, communities, schools, and businesses to encourage participation, whether it be running a kilometre with the team or meeting them at the finish line.

A specially designed ‘Helping Hand of Hope' trophy will be given to each sponsor of the day, as a tribute and reminder to lend young people the hope and voice they need in their time of crisis.

Due Drop Hope Challenge Givealittle link: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/hope-challenge-givealittle

For more information go to the Due Drop Foundation website: https://www.duedrop.org.nz

Due Drop Hope Challenge Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hopechallengenz

Due Drop Hope Challenge Instagram page: @hopechallengenz

Participants' profiles:

Rick Wells. Photo: Supplied.

Rick Wells, MBE

Rick Wells is a former World Triathlon Champion, Commonwealth Games swimmer, Commonwealth Games Triathlon Champion and NZ Surf Life Saving rep. Sport has always been part of Rick's life. Rick began swimming at the age of eight, travelling from the family dairy farm 20km everyday to the nearest pool at Matamata. Rick has spent his life after triathlon, coaching and mentoring athletes through his swim squads at the Olympic Pools in Newmarket. Since then he has continued his own fitness and now enjoys doing these challenges with mates. He feels that it is important to always give back and encourage others to have a go. He likes to lead by example, keeping fit and healthy. Rick led the team for the Great Barrier to Auckland Challenge which raised $350,000 for St John He is a proud father of three children and works as a Financial Advisor in Auckland with the Maurice Trapp Group.

Ian Jones. Photo: Supplied.

Ian Jones, MNZM

The "kamo kid" as he is known, is a former All Black. Ian Jones played 105 games including 79 tests over an 11 year career. Ian is a father of three living on the North Shore of Auckland and married to Janine. Family, community and health and wellbeing are his priorities, and he lives out those values every day. His family started, alongside their amazing volunteers, Eddies Meals - a community food kitchen in Takapuna to share their blessings. Ian is also an ambassador for AIA Vitality - a health and wellbeing programme aimed at rewarding Kiwis for looking after their health. Swimming has always been a big part of his life, both competitively and for fitness and Ian can be seen at the start line at many of our great sporting events in this country.

Geoff Everson

A 29-year career in Enterprise IT across Europe, Asia, and New Zealand technology markets, Geoff has found it important to dedicate time for family and wellbeing. More at home in, or on the water, Geoff enjoys surfing, Stand Up Paddling, wing-foiling, swimming and skiing. As a long-time member of Rick Wells swim training squad, Geoff was encouraged to join the Waiheke to Auckland charity swim event as well as supporting the team during their epic Great Barrier Challenge. Geoff has also participated in the World Masters Swimming, Munich, Germany in 2000 and Auckland, 2017 with bronze medals in the open water swim and Surf Lifesaving Teams swim events. With numerous surgeries to repair shoulders and other body parts, Geoff (and his ACC Case Worker) is hopeful that he can hold up to the rigors of this epic multi-day event.

Karim Rostami. Photo: Supplied.

Karim Rostami

A survivor of the polio virus that affected him when he was just a small child. The virus had left Karim Rostami with no muscle control in his hips and legs, with doctors telling his family that he would never walk again. He went through years of intense treatments, muscle therapy, learning to walk once more. Karim came to New Zealand as an 18-year-old asylum seeker from his hometown of Kabul in Afghanistan. Having fled from the Taliban, he came with no family, no money and no English.

David Mitchell. Photo: Supplied.

David Mitchell

An Auckland businessman with his own import and export company in China and has been an ardent supporter of the Auckland Westpac Rescue helicopter and St John. David is a long-time friend of Rick's and a regular participant in the Olympic swimming squad. David has competed in the World Master swimming in Auckland 2017 and has completed several ocean swims including a Waiheke to Auckland event and together with this team the Great Barrier Challenge. David is very community conscious and enjoys being part of giving back to communities.

Richard Hart. Photo: Supplied.

Richard Hart

A family man and real estate professional, Richard Hart has been selling houses in Remuera and surrounds for the last 29 years. Married to his wife Wendy for 22 years, they have three children together. He has zero competitive swimming experience. Every team needs light comic relief, and Ritchie provides that. The list of his some completed/not completed fitness ventures are: 2007 individual coast-to-coast race, Round Mana Island Ocean swim 2010, Waiheke to Auckland swim teams event 2018, Off-Road Triathlons (Queenstown, Wanaka to Arrowtown and Motatapu island) which he has participated in for the past 10 years.

Richie Barnett

A professional rugby league player in the 90's, spanning 12 years with the Cronulla Sharks, Sydney Roosters, London Broncos and HULLFC, Richie Barnett represented the Kiwis on 27 occasions, captaining 10 of those times. Richard is the Wellbeing and Culture manager at I Am Hope and having lived with chronic fatigue for 12 years, he is passionate about mental health and wellbeing. He runs his own charity, the Sports Implementation Foundation, working with youth to help transition them into employment. Richie also works as a life coach and NLP practitioner to ensure the best outcome for underprivileged children to ensure they have the support they need. He's happily married with two children adult children who live overseas and knows this challenge will test him, but he's giving it his best.

Mike King. Photo: Supplied.

Mike King

Former comedian, radio and television personality and passionate mental health advocate, Mike King is a positive disruptor in the mental health space in New Zealand. Mike's advocacy began on his radio show The Nutters Club in 2009. He has since founded the Key to Life Charitable Trust, I Am Hope and New Zealand's leading free youth counselling service provider Gumboot Friday. He was named New Zealander of the Year in 2019 for his relentless mental health advocacy efforts and appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the same year, which he returned in 2021, in protest over the lack of progress in the mental health system.