Children’s Commissioner welcomes new youth mental health and suicide prevention services in Te Tai Tokerau

Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad welcomes today’s announcement by the Minister for Mental Health of new dedicated youth mental health and suicide prevention services for taitamariki (children and young people) in Te Tai Tokerau (Northland).

Alongside investment in a new Youth Acute Respite Service for taitamariki experiencing acute mental health distress in Te Tai Tokerau, planning is underway for three Youth Suicide Prevention Coordination roles to work with existing mental health services in the rohe.

“Building on my previous advocacy for youth-focused suicide prevention initiatives, and Coroner Tetitaha’s recommendations in the Inquiry Roimata Aroha mō te Whakamomori Taitamariki following the deaths of six mokopuna in Te Tai Tokerau by suicide, I welcome this new investment in youth-specific mental health services for Te Tai Tokerau. I’m pleased the new roles will work closely with existing experts and advocates in the rohe. This commitment has been a long time coming and is very much needed, and it’s good to be here in Whangārei to hear this announcement today.

“My team at Mana Mokopuna and I have heard directly from taitamariki of Te Tai Tokerau about the realities of their mental health struggles and those affecting their friends. They tell us about the pressures they face, difficulties in accessing help, and the profound impacts of mental health distress, including the loss of innocence and lives to darkness,” says Dr Achmad.

“Youth suicide, whakamomori, is an extremely sensitive and tapu subject, and it’s one that mokopuna raise with me as their Children’s Commissioner with profound honesty and courage. The reality is stark: mokopuna die by suicide at concerningly high rates in our country, and behind every statistic is a mokopuna whose life is lost and a whānau and community hurting with deep pain.

“All mokopuna in New Zealand should be growing up loved, safe and well. Strengthening mental health prevention and support specifically for young people is essential to this. More widely there must be a stronger systemic focus on eliminating factors that can lead to mental health distress, like material hardship, food insecurity, child abuse, sexual abuse and family violence.

“I’ve been consistently advocating that all mokopuna must have access to child and youth-specific mental health support early, close to home, in ways that are culturally grounded, and trusted by them and their families. I understand that the new Youth Acute Respite Service in Te Tai Tokerau and the suicide prevention roles will take these approaches, which is pleasing.

“It’s crucial that youth mental health services are well integrated with wider systems, and designed together with mokopuna. They know what works best to prevent distress and support their hauora. When mokopuna shape service design, we build systems that uphold their dignity and rights, reflect their realities, and meet their needs. I’ll be advocating for these things to happen in the establishment of the new service and roles for Te Tai Tokerau, and I’ll be seeking to understand from taitamariki, whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori about the impact these initiatives have for mokopuna over time.”

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Editor’s notes

Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad is the independent advocate for all children under the age of 18 in Aotearoa New Zealand and children and young people under 25 who have been in or who are in care and/or custody. As Children’s Commissioner, Dr Achmad leads the team at Mana Mokopuna – Children’s Commissioner, an independent Crown entity.

Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad is available for interviews. For media enquiries, please contact:

Melissa Wastney
029 909 2715