Stable Housing a Key to Suicide Reduction

New Zealand’s Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2025–2029, part of the Every Life Matters strategy, hasn't been implemented properly, promising much but risking little real change. While the plan boasts 21 health-led and 13 cross-agency actions, it’s riddled with faults that could doom it to repeat the failures of past strategies. 

With suicide rates in New Zealand remaining high, 617 suspected suicides in 2024, at 11.2 per 100,000, the National-led government’s austerity-driven approach, coupled with a watered-down suicide prevention plan, threatens to exacerbate the crisis rather than curb it.

First, the plan’s funding is a sticking plaster on a gaping wound. The $20 million annual baseline, plus an extra $16 million from 2025/26, sounds substantial, but it’s a drop in the bucket for a mental health system already buckling under cuts to frontline staff and gutted community services. The dissolution of the standalone Suicide Prevention Office, now a mere function within the Ministry of Health, signals a lack of seriousness about suicide prevention. How can we expect coordinated, impactful action when the government’s gutting the very structures tasked with reducing suicides?

Last year, RNZ reported:

Ministry of Health apologises for confusion over Suicide Prevention Office's future

The Ministry of Health said it did not sufficiently brief the Minister of Mental Health on their restructuring plans and is committed to working on suicide prevention.

RNZ understands the ministry is proposing to cut 134 jobs to meet the government's demands to reduce costs.

The Public Servants Association (PSA) released a press release on Thursday that claimed this also included shutting the Suicide Prevention Office.

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has since stepped in and told the Director-General of Health he expected the office to stay open.

 

But what is perhaps worse than this undermining, the government's replacement plan’s health-centric focus sidesteps the social determinants fuelling suicide, like poverty, unemployment, and housing instability. A 2022 University of Auckland study, backed up by a recently released Otago University study, has found stable housing significantly reduces youth offending, showing how secure homes foster resilience in young people. It’s no leap to see how stable housing could also lower youth suicide rates by providing safety and reducing stress.

Yesterday, RNZ reported:

Youth offending drops with safe, stable housing - study

An Otago University study has found a link between safe, stable housing and a reduction in youth offending rates.

The study looked at the relationship between different types of housing assistance, including emergency housing, public housing, and the accommodation supplement.

Lead author Chang Yu said researchers found clear links between housing deprivation and alleged youth offending.

"We found offending decreased significantly among young people living in public housing or receiving the accommodation supplement, compared with the general population.

The National-led government's austerity measures, destroying emergency housing, cancelling state home builds, slashing public services and tightening welfare, have deepened housing insecurity and economic hardship, particularly for young people and Māori, who face suicide rates 1.8 times higher than non-Māori. These policies aren’t just indifferent; they’re actively worsening the social conditions that drive despair.

Yesterday, Stuff reported:

 

‘Heartbreaking’: Pensioners, children sleeping rough in Christchurch’s red zone

Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka said the large scale use of emergency housing was one of “the biggest public policy failures in New Zealand history”.

“Since National came into office, households in emergency housing have dropped from 3,342 to 516– that’s a drop of 84.5%.

“The vast majority are now into better, safer, proper homes.”

He said the Government was focused on making it easier to build proper housing and ensuring Government investment was “creating the right houses in the right places for those in genuine need“.

But Fire didn’t see it that way.

“You empty all the motels and there’s a lot of children still sleeping in cars,” she said. “That really gets to me."

The National-led government’s failure to track where former emergency housing residents end up is a glaring oversight that compounds the Suicide Prevention Action Plan’s weaknesses. The Ministry of Social Development lacks data on these households by design, because this type of data would make the government's emergency housing reduction plan look bad.

Many of the people affected by the coalitions austerity, including young children and the elderly, are slipping into rough sleeping, overcrowding, or other precarious situations. Clearly secure homes could also reduce suicide by alleviating stress and fostering resilience. Yet, National’s austerity-driven cuts to frontline services and community support, alongside the gutting of emergency housing, risk driving more vulnerable Kiwis, especially youth and Māori, into despair, undermining any hope of meaningful progress.

The Suicide Prevention Action Plan’s nod to Māori-led actions and community funds is welcome, but it feels tokenistic when broader government moves, like gutting the Suicide Prevention Office, cuts to emergency housing and reviewing Treaty-based provisions, undermine cultural and overall responsiveness. High-risk groups like the Rainbow community and rural New Zealanders also risk being short-changed when resources are spread too thin. And let’s not ignore the measly focus on postvention, support for those bereaved by suicide, who are at heightened risk themselves.

Adding insult to injury is the government's funding of unproven initiatives like Gumboot Friday, and changes to suicide reporting protocols, which have tightened what qualifies as a “confirmed” suicide, potentially masking the true scale of the current crisis in New Zealand. This sleight of hand lets the government downplay the numbers while avoiding accountability for the consequences of their policy decisions. Without robust short-term indicators or a reinstated Suicide Prevention Office, evaluating the plan’s impact will be like navigating around icebergs in the dark.

In short, this plan is a half-measure, dressed up with milestones but starved of ambition and resources. National’s austerity is exacerbating the social conditions, unstable housing, economic strain, cultural disconnection, that drive people to suicide, particularly among youth and Māori. If we want to save lives, we need bold investment, a dedicated and properly staffed prevention office, and policies that tackle the root causes of despair, not just its symptoms. Anything less clearly shows that the government simply does not care.

Places to get help:

• Lifeline (open 24/7) - 0800 543 354
• Depression Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 111 757
• Healthline (open 24/7) - 0800 611 116
• Samaritans (open 24/7) - 0800 726 666
• Suicide Crisis Helpline (open 24/7) - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
• Youthline (open 24/7) - 0800 376 633. You can also text 234 for free between 8am and midnight, or email talk@youthline.co.nz
• 0800 WHATSUP children's helpline - phone 0800 9428 787 between 1pm and 10pm on weekdays and from 3pm to 10pm on weekends. Online chat is available from 7pm to 10pm every day at www.whatsup.co.nz.
• Kidsline (open 24/7) - 0800 543 754. This service is for children aged 5 to 18. Those who ring between 4pm and 9pm on weekdays will speak to a Kidsline buddy. These are specially trained teenage telephone counsellors.
• Your local Rural Support Trust - 0800 787 254 (0800 RURAL HELP)
• Alcohol Drug Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 787 797. You can also text 8691 for free.

NZ Child Suicide Crisis: Experts Muddying the Waters

Sarah Hetrick

The latest UNICEF Report Card 19 has delivered a wake up call to New Zealand’s conscience, ranking us dead last for child and youth mental health among 36 OECD and EU countries, with the highest youth suicide rate at 17.1 per 100,000 for 15 to 19-year-olds, nearly X3 the average for other high-income nations. But despite the well-researched UNICEF statistics, certain so-called “experts” are crying foul, claiming the numbers are “misleading.” Their arguments, rooted in technicalities about confirmed versus suspected suicides, not only undermine the gravity of the crisis but also distract from the government’s insidious tweaks to reporting that obscure the true scale of the tragedy.

On Friday, RNZ reported:

Misleading figures on New Zealand youth suicide rates

Two researchers from the University of Auckland, who are experts in youth mental health, say that figure is wrong.

The global charity's report on child wellbeing came out last Wednesday, with New Zealand ranking the lowest of 36 countries for mental wellbeing.

The graph attracting the most attention was the one on youth suicide rates, in which New Zealand outranked all other countries, with a rate of 17.1 per 100,000 15-to-19-year-olds.

"This is our whole world, this research, so we know what the data looks like for New Zealand," associate professor Sarah Hetrick told The Detail.

"We just knew when we saw it that it wasn't correct."

...

Associate professor Sarah Fortune, who is the director for population mental health at University of Auckland, explained the difference.

"The first one is called confirmed deaths, so that tells us that the circumstances of that person's death have been reviewed by the coroner and have been recorded as being a suicide death," she said. "Then we have suspected cases, which indicates that that situation is still open to the coroner."

The UNICEF Report Card 19 analysed trends in youth suicide using only data on confirmed suicide rates.

Hetrick and Fortune, both tied to the University of Auckland, argued that the UNICEF figures, based on confirmed suicides from 2018-2020, are outdated and inflated, pointing to more recent suspected suicide rates of 12.3 per 100,000 (2021-22) and 11.8 (2023-24). They lean on the fact that New Zealand’s coronial process distinguishes between “confirmed” and “suspected” suicides, suggesting the UNICEF data doesn’t reflect a downward trend in suspected cases.

But this is a sleight of hand. The UNICEF report uses globally comparable data to ensure fairness, drawing from confirmed suicides to align with other countries’ methodologies.

More troubling is the government’s role in this preventable tragedy. Knowing that things would likely continue to get worse, everyone but Labour voted in 2016 to make changes to suicide reporting protocols, which has restricted what qualifies as a “confirmed” suicide. The coronial process, already slow, now demands stricter evidence, delaying or outright excluding certain cases from official tallies. It’s also the reason why the latest suicide stats are showing a decline, while all the social conditions that cause suicide are continuing to worsen. This isn’t just bureaucratic red tape…it’s a deliberate move to suppress the numbers and make things look better than they actually are. By focusing on “confirmed” versus “suspected” suicides, and limiting reporting, the government creates a mirage of progress while the real crisis festers. The UNICEF report’s 17.1 rate isn’t an anomaly; it’s a snapshot of a systemic failure that’s actually worse than reported, given the new criteria reducing confirmed cases.

Sarah Fortune

The existing numbers already paint a very bleak picture. Māori and Pacific youth are disproportionately affected, with Māori suicide rates 1.7 times higher than non-Māori for males and 2.4 times for females. Poverty, racism, and a post-colonial legacy fuel this epidemic, yet Hetrick and Fortune’s focus on statistical nuances distracts from these structural drivers. The Youth2000 series, which they cite for broader well-being indicators, still shows 6.2% of youth attempting suicide, with higher rates in deprived areas. If anything, the data suggests the crisis is underreported, not overstated.

By downplaying the UNICEF report, these "experts" risk feeding a narrative that lets the government off the hook. The coalition of chaos’ austerity Budget 2025, with its 116 cuts that will disproportionately affect those already at risk, will likely worsen New Zealand’s terrible suicide rates. Instead of quibbling over numbers, we need to put pressure on the government to urgently invest in mental health services, housing stability, and poverty reduction measures. The real scandal isn’t UNICEF’s data…it’s the lives lost while people bicker about what set of statistics are correct, effectively providing cover for an administration that is only making an already atrocious situation worse.

 

Places to get help:

Lifeline (open 24/7) - 0800 543 354
Depression Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 111 757
Healthline (open 24/7) - 0800 611 116
Samaritans (open 24/7) - 0800 726 666
Suicide Crisis Helpline (open 24/7) - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
Youthline (open 24/7) - 0800 376 633. You can also text 234 for free between 8am and midnight, or email talk@youthline.co.nz
0800 WHATSUP children's helpline - phone 0800 9428 787 between 1pm and 10pm on weekdays and from 3pm to 10pm on weekends. Online chat is available from 7pm to 10pm every day at www.whatsup.co.nz.
Kidsline (open 24/7) - 0800 543 754. This service is for children aged 5 to 18. Those who ring between 4pm and 9pm on weekdays will speak to a Kidsline buddy. These are specially trained teenage telephone counsellors.
Your local Rural Support Trust - 0800 787 254 (0800 RURAL HELP)
Alcohol Drug Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 787 797. You can also text 8691 for free.

National Has Increased The Child Suicide Rate

The latest UNICEF Innocenti Report Card 19, Fragile Gains - Child Wellbeing at Risk in an Unpredictable World, should be a wake up call for the New Zealand government. Ranking us 32nd out of 36 OECD and EU countries for child wellbeing, it lays bare a shameful truth: our kids are struggling, and the National-led government’s obsession with austerity is making their lives even harder. With the highest child suicide rate among wealthy nations, nearly three times the OECD average, Aotearoa is failing its youngest citizens. But instead of owning their role in this crisis, National is pointing fingers, dodging the real culprit: their own socially destructive policies.


On Thursday, RNZ reported:

 

New Zealand has highest child suicide rate, a survey of wealthy countries shows

Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad said the rankings showed that meaningful investment in children and young people was urgently needed to support child and youth mental health, including suicide prevention measures, and better support for the prevention of bullying in schools and communities.

"I've been clear that we need to see a central focus on children in Budget 2025," she said. "This is necessary to deliver on the government's own Child and Youth Strategy to 'make New Zealand the best place in the world to be a child'.

"It's devastating that among other high-income countries, we reported the highest youth suicide rate. We also know that attempted suicide rates for rangatahi Māori, Rainbow children and young people and disabled children are higher."

Dr Achmad said she wanted the government to collect and publish good-quality data on child mortality.

"Significantly reducing childhood poverty must be a core investment area for the government, given the ripple effects it has on children's lives. The data in the government's own recent Annual Report on Children and Young People's wellbeing shows that we are going backwards when it comes to providing enough safe housing, healthy food and primary health and dental care." she said.

"I want to see all children in our country flourish to their full potential. As this international comparison shows, we can and must do much, much better for children. These are their basic rights that we are talking about, and as a small, relatively rich country, it shouldn't be like this."

Let’s talk about the grinding poverty that’s effecting too many Kiwi kids. The report highlights how economic inequality, worsened by National’s cuts to social services, is driving child poverty rates in the wrong direction. Statistics NZ data shows no improvement in poverty metrics since 2022, with food insecurity and material hardship on the rise. Kids are going hungry in a country that prides itself on abundance.

National’s answer? Slash welfare support, remove emergency housing and prioritise tax cuts for the wealthy. The ripple effects are clear: poverty fuels mental health crises, and hungry kids can’t thrive. The government’s own Annual Report on Child and Youth Wellbeing confirms we’re failing on basics like safe housing and healthy food. Yet, National’s Budget ignores these cries for help, doubling down on austerity that strips away any hope for a brighter future.

Housing insecurity is another dagger in the heart of child wellbeing. The report underscores how unstable, overcrowded homes, exacerbated by a housing crisis National refuses to tackle, erode mental and physical health. Kids in transient, mouldy rentals or living on the streets aren’t just uncomfortable; they’re traumatised.

UNICEF Aotearoa’s CEO, Michelle Sharp, says the upcoming Budget is an opportunity for the government to create positive change, but National’s asleep at the wheel, ignoring recommendations from reports like Under One Umbrella that demand action on housing and poverty. Instead, they’ve dismantled initiatives like Te Aka Whai Ora, which could’ve addressed inequities for Māori and Pacific youth, who face disproportionate levels of youth suicide.

And then there’s the cost-of-living crisis, squeezing families until they break. With energy and food prices soaring, parents are forced to choose between rent and groceries. Kids bear the brunt, with 40% of Kiwi children overweight, a symptom of food insecurity driving reliance on cheap, unhealthy options. National’s response? Blame anybody but themselves.

But what else is new? Historical data shows youth suicide rates always climb under National’s watch. You only have to look at the 2010-2017 period, when rates hit 15.6 per 100,000, the worst in the OECD. Coincidence? Hardly. The right-wings’ austerity breeds hopelessness and increases suicides.

But all the Minister for Social Development and Employment, Luise Upston, can do is say there’s “more work to do”. Here’s a list of some of the “work” that the National coalition of chaos government has done to increase the child suicide rate.

• Lowered Ambition for Targets: In June 2024, the National-led government set new three-year targets for 2024/25–2026/27, which critics argue are less ambitious than those set by Labour. For instance, the material hardship target was adjusted to 10% by 2026/27, acknowledging economic challenges but aiming to merely maintain current rates rather than significantly reduce them. The persistent poverty target for 2028 was set at 10%, with a long-term goal of 8% by 2035, reflecting a cautious approach that anticipates short-term increases due to economic conditions.

• Missed Existing Targets: Statistics NZ data released in February 2025 showed the government missed all three primary child poverty targets for 2023/24. Material hardship rose to 13.4% (156,600 children) against a target of 9%, with no significant progress on low-income measures either. Māori and Pacific children faced even higher rates (23.9% and 28.7%, respectively), highlighting persistent inequities.

• Shift in Policy Focus: National’s Budget 2024 emphasized work incentives over direct poverty alleviation, tying child poverty reduction to reducing Jobseeker Support recipients by 50,000 over six years. Initiatives like FamilyBoost and increased In-Work Tax Credits aim to support working families, but critics, including UNICEF NZ, argue these measures fail to address immediate needs like housing affordability and food insecurity. Policies such as extending Best Start payments or introducing universal child payments were suggested but not adopted.

• Changing Funding Allocation and Blame-Shifting: National has prioritised tax breaks for landlords and other fiscal measures over child poverty reduction, effectively reducing targets instead of poverty. The government is also deflecting blame to social media and bullying rather than addressing systemic issues like poverty and housing insecurity, which exacerbate child wellbeing challenges.

• Changes to the school lunches programme: Reduced funding and a shift to less nutritious, inedible, cost-saving options, have worsened food insecurity for Kiwi kids. Disadvantaged children, particularly Māori and Pacific youth, suffer most, with 13.4% facing material hardship. The UNICEF’s Innocenti Report Card 19 highlights how these cuts strip away a vital lifeline, deepening poverty and undermining wellbeing for the most vulnerable.

• Legislating limits on gender rights: The Human Rights Commissioner warned that by restricting gender recognition and support, the government's policies alienate transgender youth, which will exacerbate mental health struggles for an already marginalised group. With New Zealand’s youth suicide rate already the highest in the OECD, this rollback threatens even more lives.

The government has also tried to limit reporting on child well-being, with the Office of the Auditor-General noting in April 2025 that governance and reporting arrangements for suicide remain complex, limiting public understanding and accountability. Clearly the government, knowing their policies are worsening the situation, have attempted to restrict the public from learning of their numerous social policy failures. In effect they have breached the social contract.

 

It's still patently obvious however that National’s policies are a wrecking ball for child wellbeing. Yet they’re scapegoating kids’ phones and playground spats. What we don’t need is a government who points the finger while ignoring their own role in causing these shameful and preventable results. Instead. we need investment in housing, poverty reduction, and mental health support without any further delay. Our kids deserve better than a government that sacrifices their future just to make some landlords and themselves wealthier.

Carl Loader - Arsehole of the Week

Warning! The topics in this post could be distressing to some readers.

There’s no question that New Zealand still has a major problem with suicide. Even with substantial government funding for mental health services and the Police being provided with more discretionary powers to not record certain deaths as suicides, the number of Kiwis being reported as taking their own lives has remained terribly high.

However, despite the difficulties associated with reducing those atrocious statistics, Government and public organisations must not be allowed to become complacent about nor accept that a large number of Kiwis are being allowed to fall through the cracks to such a degree that they’re choosing to end their own lives.

Furthermore, normalising suicide within our society must not be allowed to occur. In this regard, Aotearoa must not accept in any way shape or form a blasé approach to the issue. We certainly don’t want suicide to become a spectator sport either. But unfortunately that's exactly what has occurred within one company tasked with cleaning up the aftermath.

Yesterday, the Guardian reported:

New Zealand crime cleanup company investigated after posting graphic photos online

New Zealand’s justice ministry has launched an investigation into whether a crime scene cleaning company broke the law by posting images to its social media pages of cleanup sites – including, allegedly, images of suspected suicide sites and of human remains.

The story was first reported by RNZ, which found Christchurch company Crime Scene Cleaners had posted images to its Facebook and Instagram accounts – including graphic images of decomposing human remains, and images of cleanup work in the aftermath of suspected suicides.

New Zealand laws restrict the publication of details relating to suspected or confirmed suicides that suggest the method of death. A death may not be referred to as a suicide until the coroner has made that determination after a coronial investigation.

I would suggest that it's a breach of the law to post pictures of crime scenes and people’s deaths and call them suicides. Not just because the coroner needs to make a determination beforehand, but because it's an egregious breach of people’s privacy.

Yesterday, 1 News reported:

Cleaners post graphic crime scene photos on social media

Warning: Story contains references to suicide, sudden death and assault, and graphic details about human remains.

A New Zealand crime scene cleaning business used by publicly-owned organisations has been posting images of the aftermath of suspected suicides, attempted suicides, assaults, sudden deaths and domestic violence on social media.

…

When asked if the families connected to the trauma cleans were asked permission before photos were posted, Loader said for most family members "they wouldn't know because they haven't been on the scene".

"They wouldn't know what it was, what job it was."

He said "there have been several occasions where the people have given consent for them to be used" but "that was a long time ago".

In Loader's view, the company's social media posts weren't "really heavy-duty stuff".

"We just put the lighter work we do as to put anything really bad on there would be detrimental to everybody," he said.

Some people, however, had commented on the photos, saying they were triggering.

Other online commenters have questioned how disturbing photos came up in their newsfeeds.

Loader said, "If you don't like it, don't look".

When told such posts could appear on a Facebook user's news feed (unless the user had already blocked the account's posts, or the user was under 18) even if they didn't follow the account, he said he was sure Facebook was policing it.

"If it was something of a really bad nature, I'm sure Facebook or some other department would contact us," he said.

What on earth would Carl Loader believe constitutes “something of a really bad nature" if these photos of people’s death scenes being posted online doesn't qualify?

By claiming that the families affected wouldn’t view these photos and that it’s someone else’s job to police his actions, the Crime Scene Cleaning co-owner and manager has cemented his place in history as a complete arsehole!

After posting some photos, the business commented underneath, offering criticisms of caregivers, government services, and people linked to cleans the business had done.

One comment in November 2020 called homeless people "lazy "f******".

Another in June 2020 called some tenants "feral savages".

Asked if such comments were appropriate, when the business has contracts with central and local government-led organisations, Loader said, "We need to encourage public awareness of how we're living".

Carl Loader and his sick employees clearly do not need to post pictures of murder and suspected suicide scenes to “encourage public awareness” of how they’re living. A public forum is not the place for cleanup workers to process their issues. They certainly shouldn’t be trying to blame the victims either, some of whom were homeless at the time of their deaths.

In my opinion, attributing blame solely to the people who commit suicide is half the problem. Many suicides occur because of circumstances well outside of the victim’s control, which makes such despicable views highly damaging, particularly when we need to try and address the root causes that lead to people committing suicide.

To insult the victims of suicide and retraumatise their families with online posts that amount to saying ‘they deserved to die because they were homeless’ is a big part of the problem. In fact this type of mentality and lack of empathy is a contributing factor leading to New Zealand’s terribly high suicide rate.

Unless as a nation we address that dysfunctional mentality, we will never reduce the number of Kiwis taking their own lives.

RNZ also asked if he thought the business' posts could have breached suppression laws and confidentiality policies during police and coronial investigations.

Although Loader said he wasn't "really familiar" with what Crime Scene Cleaners' was putting on Facebook, he was confident police would "definitely" know.

"They haven't told me they're aware of it but obviously they would, they would look at it."

One woman told RNZ she discovered photos of her father's home on Crime Scene Cleaners' Facebook page last year.

He had a hoarding problem and when he died, she brought in Crime Scene Cleaners to clear his home.

She was billed more than $10,000.

The woman said the house was "completely" identifiable in the pictures - there were even photos of her as a girl, on the mantlepiece, in the shots.

She said she never gave permission for photos to be taken or posted, and there was no mention of the business using photos for marketing purposes in the terms of trade she signed and provided to RNZ.

When the house went on the market, people recognised the property from the pictures online, she said.

She was already "incredibly stressed" mourning her father and arranging his funeral, and the photos were "devastating on another level".

She thought Loader's argument - that families wouldn't be able to identify photos connected to their loved ones - was "bullshit".

"It's such a weak, weak excuse for doing something bad. The photo should not be public anyway. You're defending the defenceless."

It’s that attempt to defend the indefensible, just as much as the original crime of posting people’s incredibly private information online, that means Carl Loader wins this week’s Arsehole Award. The families affected by his contemptible actions should sue his arse into oblivion.


Where to get help

Lifeline (open 24/7) - 0800 543 354
Depression Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 111 757
Healthline (open 24/7) - 0800 611 116
Samaritans (open 24/7) - 0800 726 666
Suicide Crisis Helpline (open 24/7) - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
Youthline (open 24/7) - 0800 376 633. You can also text 234 for free between 8am and midnight, or email talk@youthline.co.nz
0800 WHATSUP children's helpline - phone 0800 9428 787 between 1pm and 10pm on weekdays and from 3pm to 10pm on weekends. Online chat is available from 7pm to 10pm every day at www.whatsup.co.nz.
Kidsline (open 24/7) - 0800 543 754. This service is for children aged 5 to 18. Those who ring between 4pm and 9pm on weekdays will speak to a Kidsline buddy. These are specially trained teenage telephone counsellors.
Your local Rural Support Trust - 0800 787 254 (0800 RURAL HELP)
Alcohol Drug Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 787 797. You can also text 8691 for free.

Mike King needs to get his shit together

If there is one thing that we need more of in New Zealand, it’s good people who actually give a damn about preventing suicides.

That’s because despite a small reduction in 2020, our already incredibly high suicide rates have been getting even worse over recent years, which clearly points to a lack of adequate services and an increase of things that disproportionately effect those most at risk, like poverty and inequality.

However what we don’t need is people using their own failings to have a go at a Government who clearly cares about suicide prevention and is working hard to reduce those terrible statistics.

On Tuesday, Newshub reported:

Mike King lashes Jacinda Ardern over funding for Mongrel Mob rehab scheme but not Gumboot Friday

Mike King has hit out at Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern over funding a Mongrel Mob-run rehab programme, but not his charity Gumboot Friday. 

…

But King slammed the Prime Minister after his pleas for funding were turned down.

Last month, the Ministry of Health rejected funding for Gumboot Friday, which was founded by King and provides free counselling for young people. The ministry said Gumboot Friday's funding application was outside the timeframe for procurement, meaning it could not be funded. 

In a Facebook video posted on Monday night, King criticised the Prime Minister for giving the Mongrel Mob programme funding, but not his charity.

On Thursday, Newshub reported:

Mike King slams National for 'pretending' to care about Gumboot Friday, 'offensive meme'

Mental health campaigner Mike King has lashed out at the National Party, accusing them of 'pretending' to care about his charity Gumboot Friday. 

It comes after National MP Chris Bishop posted a meme on his Facebook page on Wednesday mocking Labour for funding a meth rehab but not King's charity. The meme was also shared by Simeon Brown. 

... 

On Monday, King slammed the Prime Minister's choice to fund the meth programme but not his charity, despite missing the funding deadline.  

In a Facebook video, King said he didn't have an issue with the programme being given money, but he took issue with Ardern taking credit for it despite telling him she couldn't be involved in deciding whether his charity got money or not.

If King didn’t have a problem with the Government funding a Mongrel Mob run meth rehabilitation program, then why did he complain about it on Tuesday?

"When I asked you to have a conversation about it in the Koru Club, you looked me in the eye and you said, 'Mike I cannot get involved in this, we have a fair and equitable system and I cannot be involved in funding decisions'.

Even though they're related, a drug rehabilitation program obviously has different funding criteria than suicide prevention services. King must know this, which makes his complaint even more dumbfounding!

However what really makes me wonder if King has his heart in the right place and isn't simply using suicide as a political weapon here is that he never applied for funding in the first place.

Yesterday, Newshub reported:

Mike King addresses 'misinformation' about Gumboot Friday funding, says he never applied

Mike King is blasting the Ministry of Health for its "blatant lie" that the mental health advocate failed to get his funding application for Gumboot Friday in by the deadline - arguing that in fact, he never applied at all.

In a video posted to his Facebook on Friday, King addressed what he says is misinformation circulating around the funding of Gumboot Friday, and urged people not to believe it.

"The fact is, I have never applied for funding for Gumboot Friday - we have never put in an application and if you haven't put in an application, it can't be late."

This is no joke. Surely the comedian should have actually applied for funding before going on the news to complain about not receiving any? We wouldn’t then have numerous right wing propagandists jumping on the bandwagon to have a crack at Labour about Gumboot Friday missing out.

Now I don’t mean to join the pile on, but King really does need to get his shit together. Because this type of flakiness obviously doesn’t help anybody who might be considering suicide. They will be taking these types of complaints and the mainstream medias misinformation at face value, and may even believe that there’s no help available at all.

You've also got to wonder how exactly we're meant to have the conversation about suicide with such a large amount of blatant disinformation going on?

Notwithstanding what the right wing wants us to believe, the Labour led Government has in fact been working towards solutions to turn the tide. First they had an inquiry that resulted in the He Ara Oranga report, a suicide prevention action plan and a dedicated Suicide Prevention Office. They also established the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission. Combine that with increased funding for mental health and addiction services and we should soon be seeing a gradual reduction in our world leading suicide statistics.

Sure, not much of that unprecedented $1.9 billion the Government allocated to support the mental wellbeing of New Zealanders has gone out the door (23% allocated with 6.6% spent to date), but this is light years ahead of anything National ever did under John Key.

So just take a deep breath there Mike King. Because if you don’t do the mahi and get your funding applications in on time, you’ve got nobody to blame but yourself.

Where to get help:

1737, Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor

Lifeline – 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland

Samaritans – 0800 726 666

Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

thelowdown.co.nz – or email team@thelowdown.co.nz or free text 5626

Anxiety New Zealand - 0800 ANXIETY (0800 269 4389)

Supporting Families in Mental Illness - 0800 732 825

Steps to reduce youth suicide

Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern speaking
at the suicide prevention rally

Last Sunday marked the fourteenth annual World Suicide Prevention Day where various campaigns were undertaken to increase awareness across the globe. This included in New Zealand where 606 pairs of shoes, representing the people who had taken their own lives over the last year were displayed on parliamentary grounds.

How can it be that we have the worst youth suicide rate in the world you might ask? After all, New Zealand is a great little country with lots to offer both young and old people alike.

Much of that shameful suicide statistic has to do with the widening gap between rich and poor. But there are other negative dynamics that must also be addressed before our stubborn suicide rate will start to decline.

1. Start rewarding young people instead of punishing them

We all get it that being tough on crime is a vote winner. However this type of campaigning has run its course and must change in order for government’s to tackle through legislative changes our unacceptable rate of youth suicide.

The punitive prison system in New Zealand has clearly failed to reduce crime. Instead it simply hardens young offenders into worse criminals and often propels them into a life of law breaking. This is a negative dynamic in our society that must be addressed in order to reduce the damage crime causes.

The answer is to provide young people with realistic options like trades training and apprenticeships. Leaving 90,000 NEETs to twiddle their thumbs when gangs offer young people what is essentially a career path out of poverty isn’t something any government should simply rest on their laurels and accept.

2. Increase rehabilitation services especially for young people

Drug and alcohol abuse, even in wealthier families, is a key factor in the unchecked suicide rate. Over the last nine years many rehabilitation services have been reduced in size or closed down due to underfunding. This was a very big government blunder and needs to be rolled back in order to help reduce our world leading youth suicide rate.

Over 70% of youth suicides may be complicated by drug and alcohol issues.

3. Increase young people’s incomes

Financial hardship is another main factor in things like family violence, which adversely affects young people’s mental health. Over the last nine years young people have had their wages reduced significantly while the cost of living has increased exponentially.

This means even if a young person has a job it in many cases doesn’t meet their everyday expenses. The only way to reduce financial hardship and the stress this causes is to increase young people’s wages and benefits.

4. Conduct a public discussion about suicide

Undertaking a public discussion about suicide and the services available to prevent it is particularly important in reducing the amount of young people taking their own lives. There really is no better way to inform at risk youth that they aren’t alone and help is only a phone call away.

Most news agencies are already on board with the discussion to highlight the unacceptably high suicide rate. In fact the NZ Herald recently ran a very good series of articles called Break the Silence, which is well worth revisiting.

However publicly discussing delicate topics like suicide must be undertaken with the utmost care. Politicians and commentators should at all times stick to topics that will be help and not hinder the discussion.

The recent accusations by National party MP Simon O’Connor that Jacinda Ardern was encouraging elderly, disabled, and sick New Zealander’s to take their own lives was highly detrimental to the overall discussion about suicide prevention. Only by developing a conscientious public discourse on the matter can we hope to reduce the numbers of people taking their own lives.

5. Consider the consequences to young people before implementing policy

When the government makes a decision that will affect young people’s lives, such changes should be in accordance with the best outcomes and whatever consequences the decision might cause. 

For example, if the minimum wage isn’t increased in line with inflationary pressure this will cause more hardship for young people and as a consequence could lead to more suicide. Therefore the minimum wage should be increased to reduce young people’s financial hardship.

Policy consequences should be a factor in all governmental decision making.

6. Educate families about available services

A lack of knowledge about what to do when things go wrong for young people and their families means that the Police are often left picking up the pieces. This is a bottom of the cliff solution that doesn’t actually work to reduce the suicide rate and the societal harm it causes. 

Early intervention is by far the better option because it actually saves lives and saves money. Last year suicide in New Zealand was estimated to cost the economy approximately $2 billion per annum.

In this regard the announcement this week by Labour for 100 more Plunket and Tamariki Ora nurses for vulnerable families and the Green’s free counselling for under 25 year olds and a zero-suicide approach are great steps in the right direction. 

These policies will likely pay for themselves by preventing youth suicide.

7. Provide teachers with enough time to get to know their students

Wraparound services are essential in the fight against an increasing youth suicide rate. But when there’s a break down in the family dynamic, who exactly will know that a young person might be contemplating suicide? The best people to recognise there’s a problem are those who work with young people on a daily basis, like teachers.

The government should allow teachers more time with their students and incentivise them to look out for at risk youth. This is not only good for educational outcomes, but will help to reduce the youth suicide rate by allowing a more targeted and cost effective approach.

Where to get help

Lifeline (open 24/7) - 0800 543 354
Depression Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 111 757
Healthline (open 24/7) - 0800 611 116
Samaritans (open 24/7) - 0800 726 666
Suicide Crisis Helpline (open 24/7) - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
Youthline (open 24/7) - 0800 376 633. You can also text 234 for free between 8am and midnight, or email talk@youthline.co.nz
0800 WHATSUP children's helpline - phone 0800 9428 787 between 1pm and 10pm on weekdays and from 3pm to 10pm on weekends. Online chat is available from 7pm to 10pm every day at www.whatsup.co.nz.
Kidsline (open 24/7) - 0800 543 754. This service is for children aged 5 to 18. Those who ring between 4pm and 9pm on weekdays will speak to a Kidsline buddy. These are specially trained teenage telephone counsellors.
Your local Rural Support Trust - 0800 787 254 (0800 RURAL HELP)
Alcohol Drug Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 787 797. You can also text 8691 for free.

Axing Lifeline contract will be a disaster

You may have noticed that the National led government has been running a campaign to make it appear that they actually care about the high numbers of Kiwis committing suicide each year.

The suicide rate in New Zealand remains stubbornly high and in some cases world leading. This is despite the changes the government made to ensure the numbers of people committing suicide are underreported.

But if that wasn’t bad enough, National has decided to cut funding to a service that has been shown to actually help reduce the high numbers of people committing suicide in New Zealand.

Today, the NZ Herald reported:

Break the Silence: Government axes $800,000 Lifeline contract

In March this year, the Ministry of Health axed a decade-long $800,000 contract for Lifeline to provide suicide-prevention training to frontline workers.

The funding cut, which was revealed to the Herald through documents provided to Labour under the Official Information Act, "devastated" Lifeline - an organisation that has worked to prevent suicide in New Zealand for more than 50 years.

The funding was shifted to a "new preferred supplier" after several contractors pitched for the work last November, a ministry official said.
...

The supplier that won the funding contract was Le Va, a national health provider based in Manukau. It would roll out the new national suicide prevention training programme, called LifeKeepers, in September, said chief executive Dr Monique Faleafa.

It appears that Le Va has very little ability to help enough at risk people to make a difference to our high and unacceptable rate of suicide in New Zealand.

TOA Pacific Inc, trading as Le Va was until recently an organisation solely focused on looking after older pacific people and reducing violence in the homes of pacific families. They certainly don’t have the depth of knowledge or skills required to replace the services Lifeline has provided.

Pacific inc limited was registered by Wise Trust in July 2013, which is apparently a charitable trust made up of a ‘family of charitable organisations'. One of those associated organisations is Pathways Health Limited, which is currently advertising 995 job vacancies in the areas Le Va requires.

Replacing Lifeline with an organisation that appears to be specifically set up to attain government funding that doesn’t have the experience required or workforce available and are still seeking nearly a thousand employees only a month out from their supposed implementation of a national suicide prevention training programme is just crazy!

It should also be noted that Dr Francis Agnew, one of Pacific Inc limited’s directors, has previously been involved in questionable government funding allocations.

Axing Lifeline's funding will be a disaster on par with Novapay, but worse because it’s people’s lives and not just their pay packets that the National led government is tinkering with.

UPDATE: PM's wife on board of organisation that won million-dollar suicide prevention contract

National culpable for youth suicide

The youth suicide rate in New Zealand is atrocious! Every year it stands as an embarrassing failure of our system to look after and value young people properly. But why have things got so bad? Well one reason is a government that doesn’t really care. National is more concerned with token gestures to try and save face rather than actually putting money where it matters.

Today, the NZ Herald reported:

More kids in crisis being turned away by public system

Now a deep-thinking 13-year-old, Max has a message for Prime Minister Bill English.

"My mum tried really hard to get me help. She rang many places, places that advertise that they are available 24/7, places that advertise that they are there for you if you need them.

"Nobody was. Nobody believed my mum that I was 10 and had been serious about killing myself," he wrote in a letter to the New Zealand Herald.

People looking for help and not finding it is an all too regular occurrence under National.

"I worry that the taxes we are paying aren't going to the places they should and we will continue to see a rise in child suicide because of this. I hope we can get Bill English to listen to us," Max wrote, signing off with a smiley face. 

Almost 2000 young people like Max were rejected or quickly referred on from specialist mental health services in New Zealand last year. That number, contained in documents released under the Official Information Act (OIA), grows every year.

It’s little wonder that New Zealand remains a world leader on youth suicide. If the government is failing to properly fund mental health and other frontline services and this is worsening people’s circumstances they’re in fact culpable for people committing suicide.

Under Section 179 of the Crimes Act it's illegal to assist someone else to commit suicide, which is arguably what the National led government is doing. They’re assisting hundreds of vulnerable people to commit suicide through a lack of proper funding for prevention services.

National's suicide rate fiasco

We all know that the suicide rate is dependent on people’s quality of life. It’s not just about personal responsibility; it’s about people’s mental health being adversely affected by negative life events that leads to suicide.

In recognition of this fact, the government has undertaken a number of measures to try and reduce their accountability for making people’s lives worse.

One of those measures was to try and front foot the issue with Nikki Kaye saying she wanted a national conversation about suicide. She then resolutely ignored any attempts at communication.

Yet another way National is trying to limit their culpability is to not set any proper suicide reduction rates.

Yesterday, the NZ Herald reported:

Suicide reduction goal dropped over fear of Govt accountability

Email correspondence released to the Herald under the Official Information Act shows the 20 per cent target "suggestion" was dropped after the Government's principal mental health adviser Dr John Crawshaw ran the idea past Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman in late February.

After meeting the minister, Crawshaw emailed the expert panel on March 3, saying: "Please be aware that we have raised the suggestion of a purpose of 20% reduction in suicide rates over 10 years.

A 20% reduction over 10 years would be achievable if the government was socially conscious. However with the true extent of the atrocious suicide rate in New Zealand being kept secret and the government refusing to provide more support for things like mental health services, it's unlikely we'll see a reduction anytime soon.

"We have been asked how this can avoid becoming an accountability measure for Government, with insufficient levers, rather than a purpose to motivate the all-of-community approach."

The correspondence was released during work on Break The Silence, a Herald special series focusing on youth suicide. New Zealand has the second worst suicide rate among those aged 25 and under in the developed world. Our teen suicide rate - officially those aged 15-19 - is the worst.

The National led government trying to bury their heads in the sand instead of properly targeting a reduction in the suicide rate is pretty bad. So is the South Canterbury District Health Board stopping one of our lead suicide experts, Mike King, from speaking about mental resiliency in schools.

While Jonathan Coleman is more concerned about saving face, nothing political will be done to reduce our world leading suicide rates. In fact National is likely to make things worse by trying to limit their liability. It's therefore clearly time to vote in a government that actually cares.

New Zealand still going backwards

It should come as no surprise to those who follow politics that the right wing government’s austerity measures in New Zealand have caused a marked decrease in people’s quality of life, especially for the young and already impoverished.

Over the last nine years nearly every statistical measurement has worsened, particularly those that have a direct negative impact on the most vulnerable in our society.

Yesterday, the Newsroom reported:

NZ’s appalling child welfare record

New Zealand may be surging forward economically, but in the shadows, many of our children are hungry, sick, and struggling for a quality education. A new report from UNICEF is grim reading about our children’s plight.

A common boast from New Zealanders is that it’s a great place to raise a family.

Lots of open space, great schooling, and safety are often examples given about why the country is a fantastic place for children.

But that theory may be misleading.

A new global report card from UNICEF has ranked New Zealand near the bottom of its peers, describing the country’s performance as poor.

Building of the Future: Children and the Sustainable Development Goals in Rich Countries was prepared by Innocenti, UNICEF’s research office.

It placed New Zealand 34th out of 41 EU/OECD countries, assessing data about how countries perform in relation to the 10 UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) agreed on by the international community in 2015 as most important for child well-being.

Clearly John Key’s promise of trickle-down economics making everyone wealthy hasn't come to fruition. Nor will it. Instead, young people are earning less while having to pay even more for the basic necessities of life.

This negative dynamic is putting huge stress on young people and consequently their families, which has a direct negative impact on our society in general.

Looking at children’s health and wellbeing, New Zealand ranked a lowly 38th.

The country’s teen pregnancy, neonatal mortality, adolescent suicide, and child homicide rates all contributed to the poor ranking.

Of particular concern is the suicide rate amongst 15-19-year-olds, which is the highest in the world and more than twice the global average.

It is so bad that New Zealand’s rate alone raised the entire global average by 0.26 percent per 100,000.

What this report doesn’t tell you is New Zealand's suicide rate wasn't the worst in the world before National got into power. In 2008 it was in fact similar to the OECD median.

It's therefore pretty clear that the National led government's damaging policies have increased societal pressures, especially for young people, which has in turn led to an overall increase in New Zealand's suicide rate.

While teen pregnancy rates have reduced, New Zealand’s is still fifth highest while the child homicide rate is the seventh highest in the world.

We're middle-of-the-road when it comes to hunger, New Zealand ranking 18th with one in 10 children under 15 “food insecure”, while we are 15th in education.

When considering economic growth and work, New Zealand ranked near the bottom at 34th.

Our rate of children living in jobless households was almost twice the global average, while 7.1 percent of 15-19-year-olds were not in any education, employment, or training.

The man in charge of advocating for New Zealand children, Judge Andrew Becroft, said he found the report’s results “appalling”.

“Sadly, there aren’t any surprises here for us at the Office of the Children’s Commissioner.

“This is a long-standing problem that is not well understood in society, and we want to see all children lifted up to the same level.”

The Government had committed to the SDG goals and Becroft was supportive of their efforts, but the report was a reminder of the progress still needed.

“I don’t think New Zealanders know the full story, that’s what saddens me.”

With the National party still relatively high in the polls, many New Zealander’s obviously don’t know the full story. They for some reason don’t see the correlation between the increased social dysfunction and the government’s archaic policy direction.

New Zealand was one of only four countries, alongside Chile, South Korea, and Turkey, to not be included in the SDG as they only reported on one of the three indicators used in the report.

The Ministry of Social Development classifies “material hardship” as being deprived of seven or more key indicators such as nutrition, clothing, or education, while Innocenti measures “multidimensional poverty” as being deprived of only two or more similar indicators.

There was also no data on how many children are lifted out of welfare and New Zealand was also not measured on the SDG gender equality and several indicators including child obesity and the number of women sexually assaulted as a child.

Stone said these gaps were alarming and it was unacceptable that New Zealand was not providing the appropriate data.

The National led government should feel ashamed of their destructive record and perhaps them trying to hide the increased rate of child poverty is an admission of that shame.

Despite a 2015 UNICEF request for a specific measurement, the government doesn’t want to collate and provide proper data on child poverty because it will likely show that we’re the worst in the developed world once again.

Those who're getting rich off of people's suffering would prefer that such information never becomes common knowledge, because it shows that the right wing’s neoliberal experiment in New Zealand has utterly failed the people our economy ultimately relies on.

If the mainstream media highlighted and reported on the government’s failure and administrative bungling more often, the egalitarian minded people of New Zealand would vote the proponent’s of austerity, the National party, out.

Children sicken under National

Nine years of a National led government hasn't been good for New Zealand. As well as more homelessness, incarceration and suicides in Aotearoa, the right wing's neoliberal agenda has caused Kiwi kids to become sicker, both physically and mentally.

Today, the NZ Herald (not online yet) reported:

Depressed kids: 15,000 on meds

The number of children and teenagers on Prozac-style antidepressants has soared 98 per cent in the past 10 years to a total of nearly 15,000 young people last year.

It's a similar article to this 2013 one, when Stuff reported:

Number of 'anxious' kids skyrockets

The rate of children diagnosed by a doctor with mental health conditions has almost doubled over the past five years.

Wow! That’s a huge increased in a very short time. I wonder what’s causing it?

A suicide prevention advocate has slammed the results as bad science and says the definition of a "normal child" has narrowed too far.

However, child psychology experts say the increasing rate could be a symptom of a more anxiety-driven society and improvements in the diagnosis of youngsters.

About 25,000 children have been diagnosed with behavioural and emotional problems, with anxiety the fastest growing condition, according to the Ministry of Health's latest children's health report.

Anxiety, ADHD and depression are the three most common disorders in children, and boys are twice as likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems.

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned in this article is the effects of a bad diet. When finances are stretched it’s often people’s diets that suffer and with more people becoming indebted and struggling to pay the bills, people are cutting back on buying healthy foods.

The effect of a bad diet on the nervous and mental system should not be underestimated. Here's an excerpt from a study done by the Indian Journal of Psychiatry:

Understanding nutrition, depression and mental illnesses

The most common mental disorders that are currently prevalent in numerous countries are depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The dietary intake pattern of the general population in many Asian and American countries reflects that they are often deficient in many nutrients, especially essential vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. A notable feature of the diets of patients suffering from mental disorders is the severity of deficiency in these nutrients. Studies have indicated that daily supplements of vital nutrients are often effective in reducing patients' symptoms.

Most doctors in New Zealand will treat mental health issues as solely emotional or biochemical. They often don’t treat their patients holistically nor recommend particular nutrients or refer patients onto dieticians.

The other main issue is that healthy food costs more. If you’re on a fixed budget and have some bills to pay, a well balanced diet becomes a luxury that many Kiwi's cannot afford.

The government should therefore change this negative dynamic by taking GST of fruit and vegetables so that young Kiwi’s are more likely to get the nutrition they require. 

National should take suicide prevention seriously

The stats don’t lie. More young people are taking their own lives in New Zealand than ever before. This is a clear indication that the system is failing our most vulnerable…a failure that is counted in many lives unnecessarily lost.

Unfortunately the National led government doesn’t appear to give a damn. People who commit suicide are just another number to them and a political chess piece for the government to try and avoid.

That’s the inference given by this article concerning campaigner Mike King’s experience with working alongside the government. He recently had to quit the New Zealand Suicide Prevention External Advisory Panel, citing numerous problems with National’s self-serving approach.

Today, The NZ Herald reported:

Comedian Mike King quits: Govt's suicide plan 'deeply flawed' 

In a letter to Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman, King resigned from the panel saying he is growing "increasingly concerned" about the Draft Suicide Prevention Plan which was released to the public last month.

"The plan has buried all new ideas in such impenetrable language they are beyond recognition and unlikely to ever see the light of day. It is a strategy that is so broad in its effort to please everyone it will eventually collapse under the weight of public expectation. This will please no one except you and the politicians you serve," King wrote.

"It would be funny if people weren't dying," he added.

Pretty scathing! Here’s a copy of the Draft Suicide Prevention Plan (PDF).

King says the draft plan ignores recommendations from the panel, continues to fund "failed experiments", is an almost word for word repeat of the last strategy and will further isolate vulnerable Kiwis.

He went on to say statements made in the draft plan read like a political broadcast and were "so broad and vanilla they can mean everything and nothing at exactly the same time."

The panel had agreed there was a need for the government to set an actual percentage target to try and reduce suicide by 20 per cent over 10 years, but this target was ignored by officials and removed from the final draft plan.

You can see why National took the target out. They clearly don’t have any intention of implementing policy that might reduce suicide rates and having a firm target would allow a more concise assessment of their failure.

"What happened to that [target]?" King asked. "Have we returned to the defeatist attitude that some degree of suicide is acceptable, inevitable or both?"

Every year around 540 people die by suicide in New Zealand.

You would expect that the government would care about such a worsening statistic. After all each life lost to suicide has a substantial financial cost attached to it…not to mention the cost to families, many of whom never recover from a family member committing suicide.

King's resignation comes amid growing calls for an independent inquiry into the state of New Zealand's mental health sector.

The Herald has sought comment from Jonathan Coleman and the Ministry of Health.

Unfortunately National is ideologically blinded by personal responsibility rhetoric. They’re insulated away from the realities of life in New Zealand and appear to not care because in general it’s not their kids who’re committing suicide.

Clearly the National party is more concerned with avoiding bad publicity than actually doing anything substantial about the high levels of suicide in New Zealand.

Bill English the bean counter obviously doesn’t count the cost of lives lost in his budgeting and it won’t be until the government stops avoiding the issue because it’s too political and actually comprehends the cause and effect of their policies that anything will improve.

National's policy causing suicides

I've often wondered why an employer should be able to dismiss an employee within 90-days of employment without good reason? Allowing employers carte blanche to dismiss an employee willy-nilly is just asking for the system to be abused.

Today, The NZ Herald reported on one such case of abuse:

Boy's suicide prompted run for Parliament

By Isaac Davison

A long-serving primary school principal who never intended to enter politics says she changed her mind after an ex-student committed suicide.

Labour candidate Jan Tinetti, the principal of Merivale School in Tauranga, said the 20-year-old man had just been fired from a factory job.

"He was employed under the 90-day [trial] bill and lost that job on about day 88 or 89. He thought he'd brought shame on his whanau.

"That was the point that it hit me and I thought education is massively important, but it's not the whole story. And we need to be advocating for people into better lives. That's when I decided to stand."

This is a clear indication that National policy is causing social harm. The 90-Day fire at will law is obviously being abused by a number of deadbeat employers who appear to have no moral values at all. But does the National government give a damn? Apparently not!

Finding good workers is all about helping people to develop skills and allowing them to gain confidence in the job. With a 90-Day contract hanging over new employees heads and clear-cut cases of employers abusing the law, New Zealand cannot hope to increase production or efficiency, two areas which could do with a large amount of improvement.

Unfortunately National is ensuring through their destructive policies that a large sector of the potential work force never gets the opportunity for further on the job training let alone a career that would benefit not only employees and employers personally but society in general as well.

13.6% of youth are now unemployed thanks in part to archaic laws like the 90-Day bill. The National led Government have had nine years to come up with solutions but instead have just made things worse. That's a pretty good reason to vote Bill English and his cronies out this September.

The 90-Day bill should be scrapped along with the idiots who voted for it.

Professor wrong on suicide

Today, the NZ Herald reported:

Doctors view suicidal patients as a threat to their reputations and are more concerned with avoiding blame than treating people, a leading expert says.

Professor Roger Mulder, head of psychological medicine at Otago University, said clinicians were afraid of being blamed for suicides and were not acting in the patients' best interests.

Wow! That's a pretty gross generalization to make. I wonder what makes hime think that?

Mulder said he now believed "traditional psychiatric models of suicide prediction and prevention were not working.

"Very few psychiatric interventions have been shown to reduce the incidence of suicide," he added.

How very silly! It would be almost impossible to show when psychiatric interventions have reduced the incidence of suicide...mainly because there are no figures kept for people who have gone undiagnosed as having a mental illness who have committed suicide.

What is it with these Otago University academics anyway?

Despite a large rise in drugs prescribed and ongoing treatment for at-risk patients, suicide rates remain high.

Of course just medicating people up to the eyeballs isn't the answer. Although suicide risk is highest in depressed individuals who feel hopeless about the future, medication can in most cases only treat the symptoms, not the underlying causes of the problem.

The main failing in the current harm prevention system is a lack of holism. There is no real attempt at changing people's personal lives for the better, which invariably means more cases of self harm and suicide when patients are released back to often dysfunctional situations.

Figures released last week show there were 541 suicides in the 12 months to the end of June 2013, almost exactly the same as when records began in 2007.

According to this document from the Ministry of Health (PDF) that shows provisional suicide numbers, a total of 483 people died by suicide in 2007, which means there were 58 more deaths by suicide in the year to June 2013. The suicide rate per 100,000 population has also increased from 11 to 12.

It would be helpful if the Herald could at least get these basic facts right and you've got to wonder why they haven't? Clearly there are more suicides each year since National gained power, mainly because people's lives have become even more difficult.

The only real way to reduce New Zealand's terribly high suicide rate is to reduce poverty and hardship, which National doesn't look likely to do anytime soon.

Citizen A with Keith Locke & Simon Prast

National fudges suicide stats

Today, National reported:

Despite the continuing unacceptably high number of suicides, the Coroner’s latest provisional figures, for the year ending 30 June 2013, show a reduction in the number of deaths by suicide among both young people aged between 15 and 24 years and Māori. The figures also show that suicide deaths in Christchurch have decreased compared to the previous year, back to pre-earthquake levels.

That's not correct. Here's what the Coroner actually reported (PDF):

Suicides in the Christchurch region (Timaru to Kaikoura) have risen from 67 (2010/11) to 81 (2011/12). The average number of suicides per year for this region over the past four years is 74. The figure of 67 deaths last year reflected the drop in suicides post-earthquake. The phenomenon of a drop in the suicide rate after a large scale crisis event, such as a natural disaster, has been observed elsewhere.

NZ Doctor also reported:

"We experienced an immediate drop in suicide in Christchurch post-quake but last year those numbers began creeping upwards. This trend has been observed elsewhere after a large-scale natural disaster, where there is an immediate drop," Judge MacLean said.

Todd McClay obviously hasn't read the report properly, because suicides have started to increase in Christchurch again since the earthquake. More to the point, there were 70 suicides in Christchurch per year when National gained power, there were 117 suicides to June 2012. That's if we are to believe this graph from the report instead of what the Coroner has stated:

What else does the Minister get wrong?

The total number of suicides for the year was 541, which is a decrease of six from last year, and two less than the average number of suicides over the last six years.

So National is claiming that a decrease of only six suicides is some sort of success? How despicable! It's even more despicable when you consider that the provisional suicide rate between July 2008 and June 2009 was 531.

Other negative parts of the Coroners report that McClay is ignoring are:

The highest number of female (153) suicides since records began.
The highest number of suicides (75) in the 20 to 24-year-old age cohort since records began.

Despite these facts, McClay writes:

“There are signs that concerted community and health agency programmes and activities have been effective in reducing suicides in these two groups and that is encouraging.”

Effective? National has cut funding to many organizations working on the front lines to help reduce New Zealand's terrible suicide rate. National has also increased inequality and hardship, both of which are known to lead to an increase in suicide.

There are now on average 17.6 more suicides per year since National gained power. That rate is likely to keep increasing while their destructive neoliberal agenda continues to degrade people's lives.