Speech
Māori and Indigenous Suicide Prevention Symposium
Rau rangatira mā, e kui mā, e koro mā e huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou, kia ora tātou katoa. Distinguished leaders, ladies and gentlemen, warm greetings to you all.
I specifically acknowledge: Hon Tariana Turia, Minister for Whanau Ora and the keynote speaker; Patron for the event, Sir Mark Solomon; Dean of the Medical School, Professor Sunny Collings; Associate Dean, Māori, Ms Bridget Robson; and the Symposium Convenor, Dr Keri Lawson-Te Aho - tēnā koutou katoa.
I am pleased to be here today to give my support to this kaupapa - the Māori and Indigenous Suicide Prevention Symposium.
Suicide is an alarming and disturbing fact in New Zealand. It is woeful that despite some progress with suicide prevention overall, we continue to experience high suicide rates with our young people, and Māori. With the second highest suicide rate for 15-24 year olds in the OECD, all New Zealanders should be very concerned. It is a statistic where we should be seeking to be last in the OECD.
As you know, each death is preventable, and we must do all we can to reduce the harm suicide does, especially those at risk of taking their life. The impact of suicide reaches deep into our communities and our personal lives. Suicide occurs across age and social groups and across all occupations, races and ethnicities. It does not discriminate. So many people are afflicted by its torment.
In providing this opening comment, I am heartened to know there is a joining together of groups, Māori and Pasifika, iwi leaders, youth workers, teachers, and members of the community to tackle this problem. It is a massive undertaking. However, your collective commitment can make a difference in inspiring new approaches to dealing with the incidence of suicide in our Māori and Pasifika communities.
Our being here, your being here, is acknowledgement that a serious problem needs a united and integrated approach if we are to succeed in reducing suicide rates in New Zealand. A joined-up approach, strong leadership, creative thinking, and persuasive advocacy are essential if we are to provide successful intervention programmes.
In providing the commitment, the direction and the leadership, understand that everyone has a contribution to make. It is a problem in our communities and it will require a community solution.
I think this whakatauki or proverb provides a wonderful insight for your deliberations:
“Mā te rongo, ka mōhio; Mā te mōhio, ka mārama; Mā te mārama, ka matatau; Mā te matatau, ka ora. – Through listening comes awareness; through awareness comes understanding; through understanding comes knowledge; through knowledge comes well-being.”
Working together, learning from each other’s experiences and sharing information will enable us to give a stronger indication to our young men and women that their lives are precious, and that holding on to the breath of life is a better option for them and their loved-ones. Our young people, our rangatahi, are our nation’s greatest tāonga. It is they who we work so hard for; it is they who will inherit this land. It is one of our responsibilities as a leader to ensure they are here to do that.
Dame Whina Cooper’s thoughts on leadership, recorded by Michael King, give us a marvellous insight for your work:
“I can’t sleep at night, because even at night I’m worrying about things and planning things. It’s the mana, you see. If you’ve got it, it never lets you alone. You have to be thinking about the people and working for them, all the time.”
I offer my congratulations to the organisers of this symposium for taking up the challenge of thinking and working for our most fragile people. I close by offering my greetings again to one and all who are gathered for this symposium on the prevention of suicide in our Māori and indigenous peoples. Be strong in your work caring for these people. Tēnā tātou katoa, e huihui mai nei, i te kaupapa o tēnei hui. Kia kaha nga mahi tiaki i te hunga whakamomori.
No reira, tēnā koutou, mauri ora ki a koutou katoa.