Mrs Tina Jones, of Whangaparaoa, MNZM, for services to suicide prevention and mental health
Tina Jones co-founded Youth in Transition in 2014, dedicated to preventing youth suicides and providing support. She and her team of therapists worked with 414 youth at risk of suicide in 2021 alone, and have had zero suicides to date. She mobilised her team and provided support during Auckland’s three-month COVID-19 lockdown in 2021. They placed eight of their clients in respite care, arranged 12 admissions to hospital, referred 23 clients in crisis to mental health services, managed 15 serious self-harm incidents, provided emotional support after nine suicide attempts, changed minds of 21 youth expressing suicide ideation and supported 11 who needed other specialist care.