Why Whakarite exists
For people seeking care
Too often, someone is told they should see a therapist—and even what kind of therapy—then left to hunt alone: browsing individual websites, emailing or calling practice after practice, and hearing "no" or "no availability." That is exhausting when help is needed promptly, and many people do not want telehealth as their first option when in-person care feels more personal.
For therapists
Therapists field a flood of availability enquiries they cannot take. Newer clinicians in private practice struggle to fill gaps even when listed with professional bodies—often relying on word of mouth while diaries sit half empty.
Our vision
Whakarite aims to become the place patients and therapists turn to first: a shared board that matches real need with real availability, cuts the admin burden on both sides, and makes timely, suitable care easier to find.
Fair, simple pricing
Other matching services charge ongoing subscriptions or a cut of every session. We do not believe that serves patients or therapists well. If a match succeeds and you plan to see the person ongoing, we ask therapists to contribute to running the site—an honour-based model that recognises goodwill and why we work in mental health. Fees go to maintenance and improvement. We may later offer optional quality-of-life features behind a subscription, but the core matching purpose will always stay widely adoptable and helpful for patients and therapists first.
Anonymous requests
Patients share support needs and preferences without name or email on the therapist board.
Therapist offers
Therapists propose a date and time. Offers expire automatically after seven days.
Public directory
Therapists can optionally list publicly with contact details to advertise their practice.