Suicide has a long-lasting and far-reaching impact on the lives of many people in New Zealand: individuals, their whānau and families, friends, peers, colleagues, hapū, iwi and wider communities. Every year, hundreds of people die by suicide. In 2022, 538 people died by suicide in Aotearoa New Zealand (a rate of 10.2 per 100,000) (Te Whatu Ora – Health NZ, 2022)
Preventing suicide is everybody’s responsibility (Te Rau Ora, 2017). Building the capacity and capability in Māori communities, and whānau regarding adaptive strategies and resilience to prevent suicide is a core goal of Te Rau Ora (2019). Developing and fostering collaboration, learning, innovation and shared leadership to build wellbeing to prevent suicide requires an assertive approach ready to reach and respond to Māori communities.