Opening Address to Māori Suicide Forum

Kia ora tātou.  Good morning. 

I would like to thank the Governor-General, Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae for hosting today’s event here at Government House.

Today’s forum was the result of a discussion last year between Chief Coroner, Judge Neil MacLean, the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman and myself and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them both for their input in getting this forum to where it is today.

I would also like to thank my colleague, Hon Tariana Turia for assistance and input into the organisation of today’s event and for her wider interest and support in the area of suicide prevention.

Agreeing on the list of invitees for today was challenging.

I was conscious of keeping the group at a manageable number to help create a useful discussion and allow everybody to have their thoughts and opinions heard, while at the same time hearing from as diverse a group as possible.

Looking across the room, I believe we have achieved this.

A brief glance across the room reveals experts in their fields of research, health professionals, community leaders, young people and those who have been through the loss of a loved one to suicide. 

We could, I suspect, have filled this room ten-fold, such is the interest and depth of feeling on this issue, but I am confident that the conversation today will be comprehensive and robust.
For some of you here, this will be a continuation of discussions you have participated in, either at the Ministry of Health’s invitation or Mrs Turia’s discussions during the development of the Suicide Prevention Action Plan, which I will touch-on in a minute.

For others, this may be the first opportunity you have had to engage in wider discussion around addressing suicide among young Māori.

Either way, all the discussions that have taken place prior to today, those that will take place today, and those that will be held in future contribute to a richer understanding and body of knowledge that will  enable all of us to better address the issue of suicide.

I was very pleased to be able to officially release the Suicide Prevention Action Plan earlier this week, after a lengthy development process.

A considerable amount of thought and time went into getting it to where it is today and I believe it encompasses an exciting range of new and expanded initiatives to help reduce suicides over the next four year.

All initiatives in the plan will be developed in a way that is responsive to Māori.

A key focus is building the capacity and capability of Māori whānau and communities to prevent suicide and ensuring culturally relevant education and training to help build resilience and leadership for suicide prevention.

The plan has a particular focus on strengthening whānau and communities by supporting them to prevent suicide and where necessary, after a suicide has occurred.

I see the real potential of many of the proposed initiatives, such as a small scale trial of a system to monitor and respond to social contagion on public social media sites during a suicide cluster, and work towards reducing cyber-bullying.

It is also fantastic to be able to say that a fully funded, nationally available bereavement support service will be available for those who need to talk to someone following the death of a loved one.

And I have high hopes that trialling a way to review deaths by suicide,  from next year, will contribute significantly to the body of knowledge needed to better recognise and address factors in suicide, of all ages.

It is important to realise that the Suicide Prevention Action Plan does not sit in isolation.

It builds on and complements other government priorities such as the Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project announced in April last year.

The Youth Mental Health Project’s package of 22 initiatives is designed to increase awareness of mental health issues in young people and improve access to appropriate services if concerns are identified.

Specific activities include Whānau Ora for youth mental health, expanding primary mental health services, improving the responsiveness of primary care to youth (for example, through Youth One Stop Shops) and teaching positive behaviour in schools.

Initiatives to address youth suicide rates implemented under the previous action plan, such as the “Lowdown” website and text messaging service, designed to help young people understand and deal with mental illnesses, in particular depression, are continuing.

This is an excellent example of a positive use of social media.

There is also the Kia Piki programme which contributes to suicide prevention through community development and action, and includes a specific focus on Māori youth.

The Kia Piki programme also helps improve co-ordinate existing services, identifying areas where additional service development is needed, and supporting local action to address these issues.

So the new plan is about building on the strong foundations from the previous one, and complementing the other initiatives that are in place across a range of environments.

A key message I have endeavoured to get across, particularly when dealing with the media, is that preventing suicide isn’t just a role for the Government and its departments – it is everybody’s business.

There are many reasons why people take their own lives.

A number of significant risk factors have been identified, including mental health disorders, bullying, abuse and other stressful life events.

Particular risk factors for young Māori include facing cultural alienation and socioeconomic deprivation.

We also know that there are protective factors such as positive engagement with school, and whānau cohesiveness.

But we need to build the evidence base on effective suicide prevention activities, particularly for Māori.

There are still too many gaps in our research and knowledge.

The action plan aims to help build the evidence base, and all of you here today will have valuable ideas about what is likely to be effective in reducing suicide rates among young Māori.

The bottom line is, to prevent suicide, individuals, families, whānau, communities and agencies need to work together.

With collaboration and the sharing of experiences and knowledge, such as through today’s forum, we are more likely to succeed in this goal.

Talking about suicide is a delicate and sometimes controversial endeavour.

It can increase risk for some individuals who are already vulnerable, but done well, it can also be inspiring.

With over 500 suicide deaths a year, we need more of the inspirational talk.

Breaking it down, that is around 10 people a week.

Each death affects the lives of many others – friends, families, whānau and communities.

Suicide rates in two population sub-groups are of particular concern to me: young people aged 15 to 24 years, and Māori.

Each of these two groups account for around 20 percent of suicide deaths.

That means approximately one in five people who die by suicide is a young person, and one in five is Māori.

Of further concern, is that although New Zealand’s suicide rate has been slowly declining over the last decade, this trend is not reflected in Māori suicide rates.

The suicide rate for Māori youth is particularly high when compared to the equivalent rate for non-Māori youth – more than two and a half times the non-Māori youth suicide rate
These are sobering statistics.

It is my hope that today’s discussion will generate positive, constructive and tangible ideas for addressing these statistics and how we can bring them down significantly.

Not all suggestions will be achievable, some may be aspirational, others proposed in good faith but ultimately not appropriate, and there’s always the obstacle of funding.

But there is no harm in talking.

I also hope that by holding today’s forum, after the release of the Suicide Prevention Action Plan, it will help get the message out that just because there is a published document on the shelf, we should not shut up shop and say ‘well that’s that for another four years’.

We need to keep thinking, keep asking questions about what might work and what is going wrong.

I am conscious that there are hundreds – thousands even – who could have contributed to today’s discussion, from both personal and professional perspectives.

Those of you who are here, I know will do your best to represent their interests as well as your own.

Thank you for coming and I look forward to hearing from you all as the day progresses.