The former All Black, now mental health advocate, visited Gore yesterday to speak to students from Māruawai and St Peter’s Colleges as part of his fight against the mental health "pandemic".
From the peak of celebrity and prestige, Sir John said he found himself plummeting to the depths in a struggle within himself, which he still battles to this day.
Sir John says that even though he is an introvert by nature, he travels around the country spreading awareness of mental health and speaks from the perspective of someone who doubted his own battles and was still nervous before speaking publicly.
"It’s pretty intimidating. Running out in front of some opposition team in South Africa or Twickenham — it’s way easier than speaking in front of 450 school kids, especially at my age.
"If I can keep them quiet and engaged, then I’m happy. Outwardly I handle it with ease but, inwardly, it’s a challenge," he said.
While mental health awareness had changed a lot in the past few decades, Sir John said he continued to refocus his efforts.
"It’s a lot like smoking in the 1980s. We used to eat pies, smoke, drink — no-one really gave a s.... We didn’t really know. By the end, people were saying it’s not good for you, we know the damage it causes and that we can choose.
"I don’t think mental health is at that stage yet. This is why I’m in the preventative space now. I want to teach people how to look after their mental health.
"It’s a pandemic worldwide: 600,000 people committed suicide last year. It’s going to continually block up our health system, with more and more resources, so we have to go down the preventative pathway," he said.
Sir John said he altered his approach five years ago after he came to the the bleak realisation that for all his efforts, the statistics were barely changing and something needed to be done.
Sir John’s foundation Mighty provides a mental health curriculum for primary schools, while Groove is a free app "for all the things you need around mental health".
"I think we also need to make [mental health awareness] a bit more compulsory around workplaces, but I think if we can get to the preventative stuff, we can turn the tide," he said.
