New Zealand Politics

Once again, a horrifying statistic – the ‘provisional’ number of suicides as assessed by the Chief Coroner for the most recent 12-month period, a 10% increase on the previous year, but still one that doesn’t fully record the true level, given that ‘suspected suicides’, a very significant group that Police, ambulance and health services and many families will attest to, are not included, nor are ‘missing persons’ and a further number of deaths that are, for various reasons, not investigated.

It is well known that New Zealand is a kind country.  Visitors often rave about the smiley, friendly, helpful kiwis they encounter. We have a very large number of charities and volunteers who do good things for no reward. We rate highly on global indices of peace and happiness.  The Prime Minister can say with confidence that we are a kind lot.