Suicide prevention in New Zealand

Suicide is a serious concern for New Zealand communities. This section covers the suicide prevention work of the Ministry.

Suicide has a long-lasting and far-reaching impact on the lives of many people in New Zealand. Every year, far too many New Zealanders die by suicide, with many more attempting suicide. This has a devastating impact on their whānau and families, friends, peers, colleagues, hapū, iwi and wider communities.

There are a range of skilled services and support available to help keep people well and build resilience, recognise and respond to distress, address risk factors associated with suicide, and to empower families, whānau and communities to support each other.

While many of these services are working well and achieve positive outcomes, more needs to be done to reduce suicide in New Zealand. We must do better. Every life matters and every death by suicide is one too many.

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