Editorial: Suicide plan a positive step

None of us will ever know exactly what drives someone to take their own life.

We might have an idea, but the only people who really know are no longer here to tell us.

The answer obviously lies in listening to those people while we still can, seeing the signs and having systems in place to deal with them.

The Government this week announced a $25 million national suicide prevention plan. It will consist of 30 initiatives involving eight government agencies.

New Zealand has a poor record when it comes to suicide.

The World Health Organisation ranks us at 28th worst of 108 listed countries, although our statistics have improved slightly since that list was compiled.

Latest figures show 11.2 suicides per 100,000 people in New Zealand. More than 500 people take their own lives each year.

Many sources have pointed out that this is much higher than the annual road toll - yet measures to tackle fatal crashes seem much more visible.

Figures released by the Chief Coroner last year showed 51 people in the Rotorua coronial region (the wider Bay of Plenty, Taupo, Turangi, Putaruru and Tokoroa) died by suicide in the year to June. This was about a tenth of the national figure.

Steps are already being taken to address the issue. More than 70 people registered for a suicide prevention workshop just two weeks ago in Rotorua.

But still the new plan is welcome, and overdue.

It's clear more needs to be done.

It's also worth noting that New Zealand is said to have the most restrictive laws on media reporting of suicide in the world. This doesn't appear to have helped the situation and in fact may have stifled open discussion and debate on the topic.

In October we reported Prime Minister John Key as saying youth suicide statistics were damning and the Government needed to do better. Let's hope this $25 million plan goes some way towards fruition of that wish.