Over May, people across the country are taking part in Youthline's 'Walk the Talk' campaign, exercising at least half an hour every day.
Canterbury ambassadors from New Zealand's Rose of Tralee competition are joining in. Their organisation celebrates women with Irish heritage around the world.
Participant Keely O'Grady said so far, she's enjoying the challenge.
"I think it's a really fun way to advocate for mental health and raise funds while getting out there and being productive and raising awareness"
The daily exercise isn't limited to just walking, some participants choosing other forms of fitness like running, biking or even dancing.
The minimum daily session for the campaign is 31 minutes, symbolising the average time a young person having a mental health crisis spends on the phone with Youthline.
"To know that 31 minutes that I find out of my day could make a difference in someone else's life, I mean it makes everything worth it".
These two women believe there's still room for improvement around how mental health is managed. O'Grady said people need to stop only talking about it behind closed doors.
"Everyone is very open with their physical health, you know, you're sick, you're not coming in to work today and I think that mental health should be viewed the same way".
The fitness challenge with a difference is teaching them the importance of spreading awareness and advocating for what they believe in, especially when it comes to New Zealand's youth.
Link to donate to NZ Rose of Tralee participants: https://www.walkthetalk.nz/t/nzroseoftralee
- By Emily O'Hagan, made with the support of NZ On Air
