RiverSounds Festival Ends on a Bittersweet High After Four Years

The fourth and final RiverSounds Festival took place on 15 February at a family property on Woodland Road in rural Katikati, bringing an 11-hour day of music, wellness workshops and mental health kōrero to around 250 attendees. Performers included Georgia Lines, Bec Sandridge, King Kapisi, Dan Sharp, Marmalade and Mash, while workshops offered yoga, breathwork, meditation and interactive sessions with local mental health experts.

The festival was founded by the Everyone Hurts Foundation after Sophie and Sam Temperton lost their brother Ben to suicide, and it has remained focused on creating safe spaces for people to open up about mental health and wellbeing. Co-founder Jessica Dine described the final event as profound, saying the mental health message came through strongly and there was a real sense of healing among those who attended. A live auction and a panel where people shared personal stories of loss and mental health challenges were also part of the programme. Charity partner for this year's event was Te Puna Hauora.

Over its four-year run, the festival has raised around $100,000 for mental health organisations. Sponsorship had been drying up in recent years, and a closure was announced before a last-minute surge in support allowed the final event to go ahead. The Everyone Hurts Foundation will now shift its focus to other initiatives, including Walk it Off — a nationwide peer-to-peer counselling and therapy service to be integrated into the public mental health system, developed in partnership with Te Puna Hauora.

Where to get help: Lifeline 0800 543 354 | Suicide Crisis Helpline 0508 828 865 | Depression Helpline 0800 111 757 | 1737 (anytime) | In an emergency call 111.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).