November 20, 2018
Student keen to understand suicide spir
A University of Otago health science student will spend his summer break trying to work out why the suicide rate for young Māori is higher than for non-Māori.
Zaine Akuhata-Huntington from Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāi Tūhoe has been awarded a $5000 Māori summer studentship from the Health Research Council.
He will talk to people in mental health or who work with rangatahi, and use that to identify themes for further research.
He says he wants to know why his peers are more likely to take their own lives and what can be done.
"It's nearly impossible these days to not be touched by suicide whether it's yourself or your friends or your whānau," he says.
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