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Ruia te pō, ka ao, ka
awatea
Moving from darkness into the
light
Today the Mental Health Foundation
(MHF) joins people across Aotearoa to mourn the 538 New
Zealanders who have died by suspected
suicide.
“Each of these 538 people leave
behind grieving whānau and friends. We send you all our
aroha and acknowledge your deep pain and loss,” MHF chief
executive Shaun Robinson says.
“Within this
sadness is hope as we see the number of deaths drop
significantly, and for the third year in a row. While Māori
are still disproportionately impacted it is very encouraging
to see the suicide rate for Māori dropping at a faster pace
than the general population.”
“The Mental
Health Foundation, along with thousands of others across
Aotearoa, are committed to preventing suicide every day. The
reduction in deaths shows that together we can turn our
suicide numbers around,” Mr Robinson
says.
“Over the Covid-19 period, we’ve seen
significant investment in wellbeing awareness, including
encouragement to support, and connect with each other. These
simple things make a huge difference and help to prevent
suicide. We urge the government to continue funding and
supporting programmes such as the Covid-19 wellbeing
response “All Sorts”, which we know impacts positively
on people,” Mr Robinson says.
“Wellbeing
campaigns lead to enhanced social connection, equip
people to support each other and have helping conversations,
and give people daily activities that build resilience –
these are key factors in preventing suicide. We all want a
continued reduction in deaths, therefore, we need to keep
doing these things.”
Interpreting suicide
statistics is something that needs to be done with care. The
trend over the past decade is showing a decline in the
overall number and rate, but there is much more work to be
done.
“While any death by suicide is one too
many, we are optimistic that this is the third year in a
row that there has been a year-on-year reduction in
suspected suicides. Given the challenging times in which
we live, this further reduction shows suicide prevention
initiatives are making a difference. We want to acknowledge
the entire suicide prevention workforce for tirelessly
supporting vulnerable New Zealanders,” Mr Robinson
says.
He murimuri aroha ki ngā taonga kua
riro
Our deepest sympathy to loved
ones.
© Scoop Media
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