Suicide

Revealed: Suicide attempts and serious self-harm surging in NZ’s prisons

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Imprisoned New Zealanders are facing an escalation in life-threatening self-harm attempts as the Department of Corrections grapples with a mental health epidemic, according to documents obtained through the Official Information Act. Peter McKenzie reports. This story discusses depression, self-harm, suicide and traumatic events.  Prison isn’t pleasant. It is a place of restraints and restrictions where … Read more

Life’s too short for burning bridges, and other meditations on regret

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Nadine’s son leaves Hato Pāora College for the final time

For many whānau, Christmas can be a difficult time of the year, accentuating the absence of those who have passed away. Nadine Anne Hura reflects on love, loss and regret on this first Christmas without her brother. Jimmy Barnes says that life’s too short for burning bridges, but what I want to know is whether … Read more

Listening to the silence: Those who don’t, can’t or won’t vote this election

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Like hundreds of thousands of others, Nadine Anne Hura’s brother couldn’t see the point in participating in a system that didn’t make space for him, much less represent him. Content warning: This piece includes discussion of suicide I used to think that the most important things we say to the people we love are wordless. I … Read more

NZ’s suicide rates are dismal. ‘Zero Suicide Aotearoa’ is looking to change that

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Since the late 1990s, suicide rates among young men in New Zealand have increased by almost 50%. ‘Zero Suicide Aotearoa’, the latest report from a cross-party mental health group, is looking to address these dismal suicide rates.  After New Zealand placed 35th out of 41 OECD countries for our child wellbeing in the Unicef 2020 … Read more

Staying silent on suicide didn’t help my daughter

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A recent column by the director of New Zealand’s Suicide Prevention Office argued that ‘normalising talking about suicide’ doesn’t help. Linda Collins, the author of a forthcoming book about losing a child to suicide, wonders how silence can ever be a solution. Just this week, a friend who helps maintain a suicide prevention website messaged … Read more

Should we be talking about suicide?

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An increased focus on ‘talking about it’ will only help if we’re honest with ourselves and each other about what is driving self-inflicted deaths in this country, writes Carla na Nagara. There has always been debate about whether talking about suicide is responsible or constructive. And since the Covid-19 alert level response started in March, … Read more

The Bulletin: Bridges on the brink

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Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Rumblings grow of a coup against Bridges, police dogs being set on people in mental distress, and government’s contact tracing app ready early. The long-threatened coup attempt at National leader Simon Bridges seems to be finally here. Many times over his tenure there have been murmurings … Read more

Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending November 29

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The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1  Family Instructions Upon Release by Elizabeth Kirby-McLeod (The Cuba Press, $25) “Elizabeth’s father took his own life in 2012. Unable … Read more

Suicide is a growing risk in NZ’s Asian community. Why?

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NZ Korean healthcare workers Aram Kim and Rebekah Jaung on efforts to understand the suicide problem in the Asian population. “Even one suicide in any ethnic or population group is one too many.” — Understanding deaths by suicide in the Asian population of Aotearoa New Zealand | Te whakamārama i ngā mate whakamomori i te … Read more

A view from the sharp end of New Zealand’s suicide problem

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A psychiatric doctor who helps suicidal teenagers says the Ministry of Health’s suicide reduction plans miss much of the wider issue. We need to listen to affected communities, and equip them to make the changes they need, he writes. Last week, as I left yet another 3am crisis interview in ED as a psychiatric doctor … Read more

The Bulletin: Bridges builds towards China with state-TV interview

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Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Bridges sparks controversy with China state-TV interview, timeline of events around Labour staffer allegation, and Weta staff concerned about campaign launch. National leader Simon Bridges has been on something of a grand tour around China. In the process, he gave an interview to a state-owned television … Read more

13 Reasons Why is nothing more than trauma porn, and it’s dangerous

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On the back of season 3 of Netflix’s hit teen drama 13 Reasons Why, Katie Meadows argues that the show’s unremitting darkness poses real risks to young viewers. Two years after it first aired, and a month before the release of season 3, Netflix announced it was at long last cutting the painfully graphic depiction … Read more

More than just puppies and kittens: the dark side of life as a vet

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How do we expect vets to care for our animals when we don’t always care for our vets? Ellen Sinclair reports on the struggles of an industry that is far more complex than it seems. Veterinarians and vet nurses commit their lives to helping our beloved pets, but few animal lovers are aware how rife … Read more

We need to talk about Noa

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Over the weekend, horrific false news about a teenage girl being “euthanised” due to mental illness was reported all around the world. The truth was almost as uncomfortable: a teenage girl dying by suicide from the impact of sexual abuse and assault. Emily Writes discusses the conversation we must have. Content warning: This post discusses … Read more

Why did the government reject suicide reduction targets? They don’t work

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The government’s response to the mental health inquiry accepted 38 of its 40 recommendations – but opted against the introduction of a suicide reduction target. There’s a good reason for that, writes Kyle MacDonald. Does the idea of losing 534 people to suicide in New Zealand feel better than losing 668? Does it feel like success to … Read more

“The book was a way to confront the trauma I had been ignoring”

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Playwright and The Spinoff’s culture editor Sam Brooks interviews Val Emmich, author of Dear Evan Hansen, about the life-changing process of adapting a smash Broadway musical into a book. Musicals and young adult novels have a few things in common, earnestness and accessibility being two of them, but the most prominent thing they share is … Read more

Wish you weren’t here: Anti-natalism is just immensely sad

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The anti-natalism isn’t funny, says Emily Writes. It’s just very sad. Content warning: suicidal thoughts Mumbai businessman Raphael Samuel, 27, should really be a joke right? He’s suing his parents, who are both lawyers, for conceiving him and bringing him into the world. They’re taking it in good humour and there are plenty of easy laughs … Read more

Under pressure: Tackling the beer industry’s mental health problem

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The hours are long and lonely, your creations are constantly criticised and alcohol is everywhere – is it any wonder many brewers are struggling? Content warning: suicidal thoughts From the outside, the beer industry seems like a brilliant lifestyle choice. What could be better than making beer all day, drinking free beer at night, selling … Read more

Patrick Gower: I refused to let name-calling stop me chasing my dreams

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Half of all children in New Zealand say they’ve experienced bullying, an ominous number in light of our dire mental health statistics. For Newshub, Patrick Gower reveals his own struggles in an emotional appeal to stand strong. It all started with “Paddy Carrots” and “Bugsy”. As a schoolboy, I had seriously protruding buck teeth, and … Read more

Chef Ben Bayly on why hospo needs to up its game on mental health

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Facing criticism, comparison and scrutiny every day takes its toll. Heaping even more pressure on someone who’s suffering isn’t the answer, writes chef and MKRNZ judge Ben Bayly. It’s no secret that restaurants are high-adrenaline, high-stakes workplaces. The hours are long, it’s highly competitive and with the added pressure of maintaining impeccable customer service, there’s … Read more

On being sectioned on Friday the 13th

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A personal essay by Paula Harris: “I was admitted, under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992, to the secure unit of the psychiatric ward just after noon on Friday…” Content warning: This essay contains references to suicidal ideation which may be confronting for some readers. It was Friday the 13th. That isn’t … Read more

Tasman deathtrap: the brutal toll of Australia’s deportation policy

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As the number of New Zealand citizens deported from Australia grows, so too does the death toll. Don Rowe reports on the rising human costs of Australia’s immigration reforms.  This feature was made possible thanks to reader contributions via Spinoff Members. See here for more. In June 2017, at the Anchor Baptist Church in Lower … Read more

How the restaurant industry is finally opening up about mental health

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For chefs and restaurateurs all over the world, hospitality’s pressure-cooker environment is no joke. As we increasingly grapple with the consequences of depression and anxiety among those working in our food industry, what’s New Zealand going do about it? Le Suquet à Laguiole in the south of France enjoyed the highest accolade in fine dining for two decades. … Read more

Comments on truancy and rape point to a deeper misreading of teenagers

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A controversial speech by a school principal who said students skipping school are more likely to get raped speaks to a failure to understand the complex issues teenagers face, writes Waikato youth worker Jared Ipsen  I wagged school a lot as a teenager. Dealing with heavy anxiety and depression, trying to juggle the enormous social pressures … Read more

Hope or heartache? Why the media needs a new approach to mental health

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The media approach following Greg Boyed’s death shows just how much our mental health reporting needs to change, writes TVNZ journalist Jehan Casinader. Greg Boyed had already left the airwaves, but they were still humming with his presence. In the hours after our colleague’s death, his name echoed through every newsroom, and his face glowed … Read more

Stop whispering: It’s time we all started talking openly about suicide

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man sitting in waiting room with head in hands

The death of newsreader Greg Boyed has prompted many of us to consider whether we’re doing enough to look out for friends and family who may be struggling with depression. It’s up to all of us to start the conversation – and keep talking, writes Aaron Hendry.  When I was 8 years old, I considered … Read more

Remembering Anthony Bourdain: Hope springs from tragedy for Auckland hospo

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For many in the restaurant industry, Anthony Bourdain’s death hit close to home, so a group of hospo friends decided to build something positive out of the sadness. When Dariush Lolaiy got home after work at his Auckland restaurant Cazador late one night in June, he saw a text from his head chef Brendan Kyle … Read more