Questions on right to life - Children’s Convention from the United Nations
Question 11
Please inform the Committee about measures taken to identify, prevent and address the root causes of child suicide, especially among Maori children.
Reply to 11
The Government launched Every Life Matters – He Tapu te Oranga o ia Tangata: Suicide Prevention Strategy 2019–2029 and Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2019–2024 in 2019, which outlines a clear vision and specific actions for preventing suicide in New Zealand.
To support children’s mental health, MOH provides a free nationwide counselling line available for 5–19 year olds. MOE is working closely with the newly established Suicide Prevention Office to promote wellbeing and provide supports for children and young people experiencing suicidal distress within their places of learning. MOE is updating resources that guide best postvention practices in schools, and supporting schools after a suicide, through their traumatic incident teams, to maintain positive learning environments.
TPK also established the Rangatahi Suicide Prevention Fund to support a range of community initiatives contributing to improving rangatahi wellbeing and reducing the likelihood of rangatahi (youth) Māori suicide.
While a permanent Mental Health Commission is being established, the Initial Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission (the Initial Commission) has been established under section 11 of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000. The Initial Commission is developing an outcomes framework which includes considering how other strategies such as the CYWS measure and track wellbeing outcomes.
