A new truck and trailer tipper unit, dubbed Mack the Hopeful Black Dog, has gone on the road in Auckland – carrying messages of support for people experiencing depression and mental health issues.
The unit is the brainchild of truck and trailer leasing business TR Group: In a bid to offer hope to people suffering from depression it decided to go for spectacular messages on the 6x4 Mack Super-Liner and its five axle trailer.
Messages contained within murals on the Transport & General bins on the truck – put on the road for Winstone Aggregates – include: "What are you doing to make it ok for your mates to ask for help?" And "Ask your mates if they are ok."
There's more: "Are you or your mate carrying a heavy load." And the support to "Hang on – pain ends." Another inquires: "Have you checked in on your mates today?" And there's the suggestion that "Kindness is as much a part of a man as courage."
One side of the trailer carries the messages: "Love you brother!"…. "I am hope"…. "Live in hope"….and "The most precious gift you can give a mate is your time."
The messages are accompanied by dramatic murals on the unit's black cab and bins. There's also the message that "There is help available – Text 1737."
TR Group general manager Brendan King says that TR Group has been affected "by mental health's darkest and worst outcomes.
"Many of the team are affected by depression – either themselves or via family members or both. It is a big issue." 
The truck is called Mack the Hopeful Black Dog for a reason: "Depression is often referred to as 'the black dog.' So the idea was a black Mack – a black dog. 
"But we obviously wanted it to brighten things up and be positive – hence Mack the Hopeful Black Dog. You will also note that the bulldog on the front is neither silver nor gold – it's a one of a kind black one!"
King adds that the unit is "an expression of love and support for all of you who have experienced, or are experiencing, mental health struggles – either directly or via someone that you love. 
"You may or may not be surprised just how many of the TR family have experience with this. What we wanted to achieve with the Mack was to give love and support to everyone affected by mental health issues and raise awareness in the community. To let you know that you're not alone and that there is always support here and there is always hope. This connects to our vision of leaving a lasting imprint on the world and making a positive difference in people's lives."
Comedian Mike King, voted New Zealander of the Year in 2018 for his mental health work – including founding I Am Hope – has supported the TR Group effort and was present for the Mack's official handover to Winstone Aggregates.
Says Brendan King: "For a long time the messaging in the media has been about encouraging people who are struggling, to ask for help – messages like 'it's okay to ask for help.' 
"Frankly this is largely ineffective and, whilst well intended, is misguided. Someone in the depths of depression already feels hopeless and they are not going to make themselves more vulnerable by asking for help. The messaging on our truck is aimed at the friends and loved ones – it's our job to ask our mates if they are okay and to offer them our time, our love, our support."