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Sir John Kirwan

All Blacks legend and global mental health advocate

Overview

Sir John Kirwan – JK to most – is one of New Zealand's most loved keynote speakers. An All Blacks great turned global mental health advocate, he uses his own lived experience of depression and anxiety to help people, teams and organisations build daily habits for wellbeing and performance.

Who is Sir John Kirwan? JK debuted for the All Blacks in 1984 and was a key player in the 1987 Rugby World Cup-winning side. He set a New Zealand record of 199 first-class tries. At what looked like the peak of his career he was privately battling severe depression and anxiety, which he later spoke about publicly to break the stigma around men's mental health. In 2012 he was knighted for services to mental health and rugby. He is the co-founder of workplace wellbeing platform Groov.

Career Highlights

  • All Black 1984–1994, part of the 1987 Rugby World Cup-winning side

  • New Zealand record holder for first-class tries (199)

  • KNZM (2012) for services to mental health and rugby; MBE (1989)

  • Co-founder of Groov, the workplace mental wellbeing platform

  • Founder of the Sir John Kirwan Foundation and Mitey, a primary-schools mental health programme

  • Author of All Blacks Don't Cry: A Story of Hope and Stand By Me: Helping Your Teen Through Tough Times

  • Host of the Open Minded podcast

  • Personal mission to help 100 million people with their daily mental wellbeing

Key Speaking Themes

  • Daily mental health plans and practical wellbeing tools

  • Performance Care: leading teams that perform and stay well

  • Men's mental health and breaking the stigma

  • Resilience under pressure in sport and business

  • Leadership, vulnerability and courageous conversations

What Your Audience Will Gain JK leaves audiences with practical tools they can use the next morning – a personal mental health plan, language for hard conversations, and a renewed sense of optimism about their own wellbeing.

Ideal For

  • Corporate conferences and leadership events

  • Mental health and wellbeing programmes

  • Sales kick-offs and team days

  • Education, health and frontline-workforce events

  • After-dinner and gala keynotes

Frequently Asked Questions...

What does Sir John Kirwan speak about? Mental wellbeing, daily mental health plans, men's mental health, leadership, resilience and high performance.

Why was John Kirwan knighted? In 2012 he was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to mental health and rugby.

Has Sir John Kirwan written a book? Yes. He is the author of All Blacks Don't Cry: A Story of Hope and Stand By Me: Helping Your Teen Through Tough Times.

What is Groov? Groov is the workplace mental wellbeing platform JK co-founded, focused on lifting people and performance in organisations.

What is Mitey? Mitey is the primary-school mental health programme run by the Sir John Kirwan Foundation.

How long is a typical keynote? 45 minutes is standard with Q&A optional. Fireside chat and workshop formats are also available.