Christchurch Residents Say Mental Health Top Priority

Recent surveys show that 89% of Christchurch residents believe mental health is an important or very important issue.

“This is the highest ranking of any issue for residents, yet it doesn’t get the coverage or attention of other issues. It is something I believe we need to be talking and doing more about,” says Renée Walker, council candidate for Riccarton.

26 September – 2 October is Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW). Run annually by the Mental Health Foundation, the theme of this year's MHAW is ‘Reconnect - with the people and places that lift you up, hei pikinga waiora’.

Ms Walker says that local government has a key role to play in supporting good mental health through understanding what communities need, advocating for the provision of core services, and creating social connection for people.

“Social isolation and loneliness are a major problem, and something the Council needs to focus on. The impacts of COVID have only exacerbated an already evident issue.

“In 2021, only 27% of respondents to the Life in Christchurch survey agreed or strongly agreed that Christchurch is a city where all communities and people feel safe and welcome, compared to 40% in 2018.

“Council needs to create opportunities for communities to reconnect. Without intervention social isolation will get worse as our population ages and single person households increase. Throughout my campaign, I have heard repeatedly about the negative impact life ‘moving online’ has had on the elderly. For many of them, me knocking on their doors was the first face-to-face contact they’d had with anyone in days. This really concerns me,” says Ms Walker.

“20 years ago, I lost my 74-year-old grandfather to suicide. I am still so unbelievably sad that my grandad - a man so loved by so many - didn’t see any other option. I don’t want anyone else to unnecessarily go through the pain he went through, nor the pain we went through as a family afterwards. We need to look out for each other and create opportunities for people to connect with others on a regular basis”.

The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand is a charity that works towards creating a society free from discrimination, where all people enjoy positive mental health and wellbeing.

For more on ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’ visit https://mhaw.nz/