Suicide prevention strategy to be launched

An action plan to be launched tomorrow will put grunt into the work being done by many agencies on suicide prevention, Associate Health Minister and Progressive Party leader Jim Anderton said today.

He said that 500 lives a year - nearly ten a week - ended in New Zealand through suicide.

“Many have their stories about that toll. Many of us know the trauma and the sense of loss. And all of us have a choice as a result: We can just talk about the issue, or we can do something about it.”

He said the government is getting behind the work that needs to be done to prevent suicide, with a strategy launched two years ago and last year’s budget allocating more than $23 million over four years.

“We’re getting runs on the board. Suicide rates are currently down 20 per cent since the late nineties.”

But he said there was still a long way to go and progress would be hard.

“We can make a difference if we are strong enough to create a society where New Zealanders feel valued and nurtured. We can make a difference if we are strong enough to create a New Zealand that values lives, and where New Zealanders are supported in the rough seas and strengthened in the calm.

“I believe this Action Plan will help us work towards this vision. And I believe it will save lives. It is the culmination of a huge amount of work by many people who care.”

The Suicide Prevention Action Plan will be launched in Wellington on Monday afternoon, 17 March 2008.