Chief Coroner Releases Annual Provisional Suicide Statistics

Chris Lynch
Chris Lynch is a journalist, videographer and content producer, broadcasting from his independent news and production company in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The Office of the Chief Coroner has released its annual provisional suspected suicide statistics through Health New Zealand.

In the financial year ending 30 June 2024, a total of 617 suspected suicides were recorded, equivalent to a rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people.

Chief Coroner Judge Anna Tutton extended her condolences to families and friends of those affected, saying, “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.”

While there has been no change in the overall suicide rate from last year, trends typically emerge more clearly over five to 10 years.

The suspected suicide rate in 2023/24 is 3.6 per cent lower than the average over the last 15 financial years.

Geoff Short, Acting Deputy Director-General for Clinical Community and Mental Health at the Ministry of Health, said, “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.” He highlighted the persistent inequity seen within the data, with Māori continuing to be disproportionately impacted by suicide.

For Māori, the provisional suspected suicide rate was 16.3 per 100,000 people for the 2023/24 financial year, with Māori aged 25–44 experiencing rates 2.6 times higher than non-Māori in the same age group (30.2 versus 11.8 per 100,000 people). Rates for Asian populations remained stable at 4.8 per 100,000, and for Pacific populations, the rate was 7.7 per 100,000.

Short said that addressing these disparities requires a coordinated response across government agencies and a focus on the structural determinants of health. “We are committed to improving suicide prevention efforts, which involves a whole-of-government approach.”

This article was originally published by Chris Lynch Media.