Today with the release of the Chief Coroners Annual Suicide Statistics we remember the 607 people who lost their lives to suicide over the past year, National’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention spokesperson Matt Doocey says.

“For those who have lost a loved one to suicide, my heart goes out to you and your family. My thoughts are with you today.

“Our suicide statistics are confronting. As a country we need to do better.

“As a founding member of the Cross-Party Mental Health Group I was proud to be part of producing and debating in Parliament our first report ‘Zero Suicide Aotearoa’.

“By adopting a Zero Suicide strategy and taking a bi-partisan approach to suicide prevention, Parliament can play its part in reducing New Zealand’s high suicide numbers.

“There is no reason why New Zealand can’t have one of the lowest suicide rates in the world, there is no reason why we can’t have one of the lowest rates of mental illness in the world, and there is no reason why as a country we can’t have one of the highest rates of mental wellbeing.”