Mary O'Hagan was a key initiator of the mad movement in New Zealand in the late 1980s, and was the first chairperson of the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry between 1991 and 1995. She has been an advisor to the United Nations and the World Health Organization. Mary was a full-time Mental Health Commissioner in New Zealand between 2000 and 2007. Mary is now an international consultant in mental health and developer of PeerZone - peer led workshops in mental health and addiction. She is now embarking on the development of an online recovery platform for people with mental distress.