Breaking the silence around the epidemic of Youth Suicide in NZ

Casper Haka 4 Life - No More Youth Suicide. A mass haka at Waitangi on Waitangi Day, 2013

Suicide statistics in NZ are staggering. The current silence and shame that surrounds suicide and the social issues that contribute to suicide is deafening and our voices, individually and collectively, are being called to speak the truth, reveal misinformation, and call for a different approach to the way we address suicide in this country. Haka 4 Life is an event directly aimed at challenging the government on the current state of youth suicide prevention and lack of quality suicide education in New Zealand.

With the anticipated crowd at Waitangi this year on Waitangi Day Feb 6th, organisers Anaru Barton and Daniel Clarke, who are the heart and soul behind the Casper Haka 4 Life - No More Youth Suicide event, believe the current record of 2200 people doing the haka can easily be beaten. What a powerful challenge to open up conversations amongst us, courageously confront issues, expand awareness, speak the truth, reveal misinformation and misnomers, address the core issues, show compassion to those grieving and to call a presence and urgency to a new message of hope in regards to youth suicide and social issues in New Zealand.

Anaru and Daniel have created this event which consists of a record-breaking attempt haka and a powerful midday message on one of the Waitangi stages from organizer Anaru Barton, a young Glen Innes musician Tomas Ngapera and Maria Bradshaw, the founder of Casper, an organisation that supports families bereaved by suicide and promotes suicide prevention, family support services, community and youth education.

Rising suicide rates and research evidence that suicide is actually increased in NZ’s current mental health approach to suicide prevention, has led Casper to develop a CHOOSING LIFE model which addresses the social drivers of suicide including marginalisation, exclusion, poverty, abuse, bullying, hopelessness and depression for example. Colonisation plays an integral part of causation of these issues. The Choosing Life model promotes physical health, inclusion, positive life circumstances and events, self-belief, hopefulness and safe, effective, natural remedies for emotional distress, not suicidal inducing medications and psychoactive drugs. Anaru and Maria both agree that we live in society that lacks conversations about suicide and the experiential contributors to youth taking their own lives.

The organisers extend an invitation to ALL New Zealanders to make change happen by what YOU can action today. Children are lost in the dark, and we as community need to shine our light and challenge the status quo.

Ka Mate, ka mate, will I die or will I live?

Choose life!

CASPER "Haka 4 Life" - February 6th 2013 – It’s time for clarity, hope and change!
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