Stacey McConway died in 2018 at her Victoria University hall of residence. Photo / Instagram
Stacey McConway died in 2018 at her Victoria University hall of residence. Photo / Instagram
Warning: This story discusses suicide.
A first-year university student was battling depression and struggling with her studies when she died by suicide at a hall of residence.
Stacey McConway died in 2018 at a Victoria University of Wellington hall after a long battle with her mental health, as well as the continued grief of the unexpected death of her father five years earlier.
The student was found dead in her room by a residential advisor (RA) after other students were concerned they hadn’t seen their friend in two days.
Five years on, Stacey’s memory lives on through a charity, Adopt a Student, which visits university halls in Canterbury - where she was from - providing support to students who may be struggling.
“She was a beautiful young woman that was so loved. Her death had such a profound effect on so many people’s lives,” her mother told NZME.
In a decision released today, Coroner Wilton detailed McConway’s mental health battle, which grew in severity shortly after the death of her father in 2013. Between 2013 and 2017, McConway was seen by multiple mental health professionals.
In September 2017, just a few months before the student started university, she was assessed after overdosing on sleeping pills. McConway denied any suicidal intent, saying she just wanted to sleep.
She was discharged to the care of her personal doctor to consider further medication. Her mother told the coroner her daughter stopped seeing counsellors, having lost faith in the system.
In May 2018, by which point she had begun her criminal psychology studies at the university, she presented to the campus doctor’s clinic. She spoke of sleep problems and mood swings, as well as her ongoing battle with depression, the death of her father, and bullying within her university circles.
She attended the clinic again a week later, saying her anxiety had worsened but her sleep was better. She talked of her supportive friends and denied any suicidal ideation.
But McConway’s friends had concerns for her wellbeing. They spoke to the university’s student support team, and McConway met with the counselling service on June 12.
Stacey McConway's body was found by a Victoria University residential adviser. Photo / RNZ
She thought the concerns were an overreaction and denied any self-harm risk. She was “managing everything okay,” she told the counsellor.
She returned home to the South Island for the mid-year break, returning to Wellington in mid-July.
In the days before her death, McConway spoke twice with her mother. She was missing her and her brother, but would get through the trimester, she said.
A friend said that in the week before her death, McConway had changed university courses, dropping some due to difficulty. Another friend suggested she had also had a falling-out with another peer.
On the night of July 25, she met with a male student in her room. They sat and talked for four hours, including about McConway’s struggles.
When he left, he recalled McConway was feeling happy. This student was the last person McConway spoke to.
It was two days later on the evening of July 27 that two students told an RA they hadn’t seen her around the hall and that she wasn’t replying to messages.
Two RAs found the student dead in her room, having gone to check on her shortly after the concerns were raised.
No indication of self-harm risk - coroner
An analysis of McConway’s phone found she had been on the internet about two hours after the male student left her room.
But the coroner said there was no indication there was an imminent indication of self-harm noticeable by her peers or her family. Her last call with her mother was upbeat, and while peers knew she was struggling, it wasn’t clear McConway was suicidal.
“As well as experiencing grief relating to her father’s death, it appears that Ms McConway was having difficulties with some of her friends and her studies immediately prior to her death,” the coroner said.
“Ms McConway’s family and friends have reported that she consumed excessive amounts of alcohol, potentially as a coping mechanism.”
The coroner supported a new pastoral care code of practice, introduced by Parliament in January 2022. The changes came after the death of Mason Pendrous, who also died at a university hall in 2019.
“While it is not possible to determine whether the earlier introduction of an instrument such as the code could have prevented Ms McConway’s death, this tragic event reflects the importance of such changes to the tertiary education landscape.”
Coroner Wilton was also supportive of the efforts by Victoria University to improve its pastoral care practices. She detailed the university’s designated committees, which include health professionals, that meet to discuss “safety netting” and care plans for vulnerable students.
Students with the highest risk profiles have their cases discussed within the University Risk Oversight Group, where care plans are created.
Coroner Wilton declined to make any recommendations.
In a statement, a Victoria University spokeswoman said McConway’s death was an extremely sad event for the university community.
“The impacts are ongoing, particularly for her family and our thoughts are with them.”
McConway’s mother told NZME Adopt a Student was set up by the family after her daughter’s death.
The charity supports students who may be struggling with their time at university.
In recent years the organisation has worked with Canterbury University to make hall visits for group activities like cooking competitions and dog therapy with a group of golden retriever owners. The group has also hosted talks on mental health and resilience.
The charity was supported by the community, with a lawyer helping to establish it for free and businesses chipping in to fund a website.
Ethan Griffiths covers crime and justice stories nationwide for Open Justice. He joined NZME in 2020, previously working as a regional reporter in Whanganui and South Taranaki.
