Hinemoa Elder

The report on the mental health inquiry is out. This inquiry is not theoretical for me, it is real – my brother, Maru, killed himself. And, I’m not alone, the evidence shows being Ma¯ori means we are more likely to kill ourselves. It scares the hell out of me that our Ma¯ ori suicide rates continue to increase while data from Statistics NZ shows that suicide rates for non-Ma¯ ori have declined since 1996.

I have been mulling over the 40 recommendations in the 200-page report.

Along with a group of seasoned Ma¯ ori mental health and addiction workers, I contributed to a submission of a Ma¯ ori manifesto. It’s fair to say we and the people we serve had high expectations of the process, the report, and its impact. We had our chance to put our case forward, to tell our stories, to bare our wounds. We took the opportunity for others to listen to us, but I can’t help wondering if we have been truly heard. And the report puts a lot of emphasis on hearing the people’s voice.

One recommendation stood out for me: the target to reduce suicide by 20 per cent by 2030. Given that 668 people died by suicide in the year ending August 31, a 20 per cent reduction would mean 534 people still kill themselves. There’s no diplomatic way to put this – it’s the wrong target. This says there’s an acceptable level of preventable death.

It makes me think, what happens when ‘‘services’’ or ‘‘interventions’’ contracted to reach that target reduce suicide by 80 per cent, by 90 per cent, by 100 per cent? What will happen to their funding then? Will it be cut? What if contractors under-deliver and

E kore a muri e hokia.