Warning: This article is about suicide and may be distressing for some readers.
Former professional boxer Dave Letele, known as Brown Buttabean, says he is so immersed in his work supporting and serving his community in Auckland that he wasn’t even aware of the massive drop in suspected death by suicides among Pacific communities in Aotearoa.
“What we see, unfortunately, is a lot of need, a heck of a lot of pain, we do our best to serve and support along with other community groups,” Letele said.
The annual provisional suspected suicide statistics showed the number of suspected deaths by suicides among Aotearoa New Zealand’s Pacific communities has dropped significantly.
“It’s amazingly positive news, obviously, there’s always work to be done,” Letele said,
Letele, who runs a free community fitness programme, Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM) in Manukau, which received funding under the previous Labour Government, said he sees mental distress first-hand.
“The decrease in these numbers is a testament to all of the groups that are out there doing the work that are connected to our communities,” he said.
The Brown Buttabean foodbank team, Dave Letele at right. Photo / Dave Letele
Robust reporting
Before a death by suicide can be confirmed, the coroner needs to investigate and this process can sometimes take months or years - meaning until that process is completed a death is listed as “suspected”.
The Health Ministry’s Suicide Prevention Office acting director Dr Sarah Hetrick said because of New Zealand’s robust coronial investigation process, it was unlikely deaths are going unreported.
“Police always inform a coroner when someone dies unexpectedly, and GPs and doctors also report deaths to the coroner when they are unsure about the cause of death,” Dr Hetrick said.
“There may be small differences between the number of suspected and confirmed suicides while the coronial inquiry into a suspected suicide is underway, but these will be updated once the coroner makes a formal finding.”
Hetrick said the provisional statistics should be “interpreted with caution”.
“The trend from 2008 is a more useful way to evaluate any change in the suicide rate for Pacific peoples and it is heartening to see a downwards trend across this timeframe,” Hetrick said.
Staff members at The Fono wrap a bunk bed for a family in need. Photo / Lui Chen
‘People bravely turning up’ for help
The Fono’s LagiOla Healthy Minds manager Renee Richards-Berry believes Government funding of community services has played a role in lowering deaths.
“I can’t underestimate the importance of working with the whole person and the whole family,” Richards-Berry said.
Richards-Berry said while it was hard to draw a specific correlation between the work being done by Pacific health providers on the ground, she has seen positive progress.
“We’ve noticed a real increase over the last year or two of Pacific engagement with our services.
“We’re noticing an increasing complexity of the presentations, people are bravely turning up at primary care, and usually supported by their family and asking for support.
“This is good news because that’s why our services have been set up, to be able to support people when they’re experiencing distress.”
It provides wraparound mental health support to ensure the triggers for poor mental health outcomes are addressed.
“We need to tackle the stresses in order to be able to make a difference in a family’s wellbeing,” Richards-Berry explained.
“Linking in with other social services or health services that will reduce the stress. You can talk about being stressed as much as you like.
“If your key stressor is related to not having a house, or not knowing if you’re able to feed your family the next week, then we can talk about it till we’re blue in the face.
“It’s about being able to link that family into services that will change the long-term outcome, and be able to reduce that stress long-term,” he said.
David Letele said services like this are vital, particularly in Pacific communities.
“In our Pasifika culture, a lot of it gets swept under the rug.”
His message is: “It’s not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength, you need to reach out and ask for help”.
If you want support from the Fono you can reach out to them at: talanoa@thefono.org
A Faleoko team member speaking with guests including Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone (second right), MOH director of Pacific health, last year. Photo / The Fono Trust Group
