Barbara Stewart MP

Spokesperson for Health
29 JULY 2016

Suicide Strategy Evaluation Urgently Needed

The continuing ‘epidemic’ of suicide in New Zealand demands changes to government’s Suicide Prevention Strategy – yet the strategy has not been reviewed in 18 months, says New Zealand First.

“The current New Zealand Suicide Prevention Strategy finishes at the end of 2016. But information released to New Zealand First from the Ministry of Health shows no evaluation of the strategy has been undertaken from at least January 2015,” says Health Spokesperson Barbara Stewart.

“An Auditor-General’s report released in June highlighted suicide to be the third leading cause of premature death in New Zealand, with one suicide every 17 hours in this country.

“Government needs to be asking questions about what more can be done to stop over 500 New Zealanders each year taking their own lives.

“New Zealand First is calling for an urgent evaluation of the Suicide Strategy so that we know what strategies are working and what needs to be changed in order for our country to tackle this epidemic from now into the future,” says Mrs Stewart.

ENDS

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