All Black Piri Weepu is fronting a new suicide prevention campaign launched in Northland by Lifeline Aotearoa, as the helpline service expands its operations in the region.
The number of suicides in Northland in the year to June 30 was 26 - the highest number in at least five years - and figures until the end of October suggest up to 32.
"We all know the suicide statistics, particularly for young Maori, are shocking. There's help out there, but often people who are feeling suicidal are too ashamed to reach out. I wanted to let people know it's good to ask for help. There's no shame in it," Weepu said.
The community helpline service operates a Northland branch office out of Whangarei, which fields local calls, but also answers calls nationally from an 0800 number.
There are about 4000 calls from Northland to Lifeline Aotearoa each year - about five per cent of calls made to Lifeline nationwide. That figure could be higher as the service cannot trace calls from mobile phones.