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The head of a Pacific Mental Health organisation believes the government's first ever suicide prevention plan doesn't go far enough and lacks preventative measures.
Pacific suicide rates have been "dropping over the past 14 years unlike other groups because we take a holistic approach and focus on well-being as a whole," Le Va chief executive and clinical psychologist, Denise Kingi-'Ulu'ave said.
Le Va runs two suicide prevention programs - FLO and Life Keepers.
She called the government's draft plan for suicide prevention reactionary and urged the government to make improvements to the current draft which is up for public consultation.
New Zealand's Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey acknowledged the great work Le Va does in their community but said the same approach to suicide prevention for Pasifika may not work for others.
"How we address suicide prevention in middle aged dairy farmers will be quite different to how we deal with young Pasifika in Auckland. That is why it is important that we work with community groups on the ground who know their community groups and know how to respond."
Denise Kingi-‘Ulu’ave, Chief Executive of Le Va Photo: Le Va
The previous Labour government put $1.9 billion into mental health in 2019 but an RNZ investigation last year identified widespread concern over the impact of the spending. Young people in particular have been affected by long wait times and service constraints that some doctors have said are making patients sicker.
The investigation was prompted by Doocey who wrote to the independent spending watchdog in April 2022 asking it to investigate the effectiveness of Labour's historic spending.
He said it was a "privilege to be New Zealand's first Minister for mental health. Clearly we need to do a lot better. Our suicide rates are stubbornly high."
New Zealand's first suicide prevention action plan is open for feedback and looks to fill the "gaps" according to the Mental Health Minister. Public submissions on Every Life Matters - He Tapu Te Oranga o ia Tangata, Suicide Prevention Strategy 2019-2029 is open until November.
The proposal of 'crisis cafes' is a key component in the proposal where at risk people can meet with individuals who have lived experience and get face to face help.
"We are encouraging those who work in the suicide prevention area and the public to have their say. We want to know what is working and not is working well."
Doocey said the answer was in investing in "local solutions" and addressing needs based on ethnicity, which is a very different take to the health approach.
Earlier this year, the government also gave $24 million to Mike King's Gumboot Friday for youth counselling services.
The Government has scrapped the free doctors' visits for Māori and Pasifika youth because they were "race-based healthcare". Māori and Pasifika both have lower life expectancies than the average Kiwi.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said health professionals were wrong to implement the policy and the health minister has now intervened.
"We have a very simple approach to healthcare which is based off need, not ethnicity or race. That was out of line, out of order."
However, Doocey said the suicide prevention plan would prioritise the needs of each individual and what worked best for them.
"We need to do a lot more especially with Leva and Pasifika. They help design culturally appropriate programs. We need them to target as many people as possible. I want to acknowledge the great work that Le Va has been doing driving down suicide rates in the Pacific community over the past decade," he said.
Figures from the suicide prevention proposal show suspected suicide rates for Pacific peoples aged 20-24 years are 1.4 times higher than for non-Māori, non-Pacific, non-Asian people.
Every year, over 550 people die by (suspected) suicide in New Zealand, and "every death by suicide is a tragedy," NZ's first Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Men face the highest rates of suicide, approximately 2.5 times higher rates than females and 64% of rainbow young people had thought about suicide in the past 12 months and 10% had attempted suicide.
While the construction industry faced the highest suicide rates among professions, Doocey said.
Overall, the most recent data (2021/22 and 2022/23) shows that the average rate of suspected suicide has decreased by 10.6% from the historical average for the previous 13 years of data (2008/09 to 2020/21). However, this was not a statistically significant decrease.
In the report, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said, "achieving our overarching vision of a future where there is no suicide in New Zealand will not happen overnight, but I am confident this next action plan will move us closer to our goal".
Meanwhile, he said "nothing was off the table" in regards to government implementing legislation to protect young people from harmful content online and on social media.
"I know it is something the government is looking at. I personally think we need to to do a lot more in this space. Because when you think of potentially young people consuming large contents of online material and social media it could be detrimentally impacting not only on their brain development but mood and well-being and it is something that we need to be taking a lot more seriously."
Where to get help
Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.
Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357
InnerBoy Free counselling here
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202
Samaritans: 0800 726 666 (24/7)
Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 (8am-12am), or email talk@youthline.co.nz
What's Up: online chat (3pm-10pm) or 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787 helpline (12pm-10pm weekdays, 3pm-11pm weekends)
Kidsline (ages 5-18): 0800 543 754 (24/7)
Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254
Healthline: 0800 611 116
Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.