Suicide data released

Today the Office of the Chief Coroner released the annual provisional suspected suicide statistics via the Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand interactive webtool, which provides a single comprehensive source of information on both suspected and confirmed deaths by suicide in Aotearoa New Zealand. In the financial year to 30 June 2024, 617 people died by suspected suicide and the rate was 11.2 people per 100,000.

“I acknowledge, and offer my sincere condolences to, the families and friends of all those who have died as a result of suspected suicide in the past year”, says the Chief Coroner, Judge Anna Tutton. Overall, there is no change in the rate of suicide. Fluctuations in rates from year to year are common in suicide data, and it is more helpful to consider a trend over a five-to ten-year period. The rate of suspected self-inflicted deaths in the 2023/24 financial year was 3.6% lower than the average rate of suspected self-inflicted deaths over the last 15 financial years.

Matthew Tukaki, the former Director of the National Suicide Prevention Office has welcomed the number but added caution: “the truth is we have a long way to go – 617 of our whanau are no longer with us and while, in recent years we have seen the number remain stable – it is still too high. We should not lose sight of a goal where not one passing is accepted just because a number has stabilised or gone down. This is why prevention is key,”

“In my view the government must continue to invest in prevention and, more to the point, understand its a cross Government approach that involves everyone – its also important that the recommendations of my review into to Coronial process are fully implemented.”

Geoff Short, the Ministry of Health’s Acting Deputy Director-General for Clinical Community and
Mental Health says, “the annual release of these data helps to inform a better understanding of where
to direct suicide prevention efforts and reduce the burden of suicide”.

The data illustrates the inequity that persists with Māori being disproportionately impacted. The provisional rate of suspected suicide for Māori is 16.3 per 100,000 people for the 23/24 financial year. In the 23/24 financial year, the rate for Māori in the 25–44 years age group was 2.6 times that for non Māori in the same age group (30.2 vs 11.8 per 100,000 25–44 age group population).

For Asian peoples the rate for the 23/24 year is 4.8 per 100,000 people and this rate is also unchanged. The rate per 100,000 people for Pacific populations, is 7.7 per 100,000 people.

Geoff Short concludes by acknowledging those who have died or been affected by suicide. “We are committed to improving suicide prevention efforts, which involves a whole of government approach and in particular addressing the structural determinants of health.”

More to come

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