The Office of the Chief Coroner has released its annual provisional suspected suicide statistics through Health New Zealand.

In the financial year ending 30 June 2024, a total of 617 suspected suicides were recorded, equivalent to a rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people.

Chief Coroner Judge Anna Tutton extended her condolences to families and friends of those affected, saying, “I acknowledge, and offer my sincere condolences to, the families and friends of all those who have died as a result of suspected suicide in the past year.”

While there has been no change in the overall suicide rate from last year, trends typically emerge more clearly over five to ten years.

The suspected suicide rate in 2023/24 is 3.6% lower than the average over the last 15 financial years.

Geoff Short, Acting Deputy Director-General for Clinical Community and Mental Health at the Ministry of Health, said, “The annual release of these data helps to inform a better understanding of where to direct suicide prevention efforts and reduce the burden of suicide.” He highlighted the persistent inequity seen within the data, with Māori continuing to be disproportionately impacted by suicide.

For Māori, the provisional suspected suicide rate was 16.3 per 100,000 people for the 2023/24 financial year, with Māori aged 25–44 experiencing rates 2.6 times higher than non-Māori in the same age group (30.2 versus 11.8 per 100,000 people). Rates for Asian populations remained stable at 4.8 per 100,000, and for Pacific populations, the rate was 7.7 per 100,000.

Short said that addressing these disparities requires a coordinated response across government agencies and a focus on the structural determinants of health. “We are committed to improving suicide prevention efforts, which involves a whole-of-government approach.”

NEED TO TALK? 

• Aoake Te Rā – Free bereaved by Suicide Service https://www.aoaketera.org.nz/
• Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
• Suicide Prevention Helpline 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOK0)
• Lifeline 0800 543 354 or 09 522 2999 or free text 4357 (HELP)
• Youthline 0800 376 633 or free text 234
• Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand – Free suicide prevention and suicide loss
resources https://mentalhealth.org.nz/download