12 Questions

12questions@nzherald.co.nz

disbanded officially but it hasn’t met again either.

What did you think of the suicide awareness campaign?

It’s timely. New Zealand is ready to talk about suicide and we need to do it in a responsible way because media reporting is a risk factor for suicide. We trained Pacific media after some very unsafe reporting from the islands. Disturbing images were coming straight to our children’s phones here in Auckland. So we approached 23 Pacific media associations to co-develop media guidelines for safe reporting. We had journalists in tears in our workshops saying, “We didn’t know we could impact that negatively on our families.” The cool thing is with proper training you can report the facts and save lives while you’re at it. Our Pacific guidelines are based on the Australian ones which are the best. New Zealand’s need to be refreshed.

What are the biggest risks of bad media reporting?

The evidence shows that seeing or hearing reports about suicide can trigger suicidal thoughts in people who are already vulnerable. It’s crucial not to report how or where a person killed themselves as this can lead to copycat suicides. It’s important not to glorify or sensationalise suicide so it seems like a great solution.

Do you worry about your children’s use of social media?

As parents we get a bit anxious around social media but it can be a fantastic way to identify warning signs. I have an 11 and a 12-year-old and they’re like my own focus group. If I can talk to them about making sure people aren’t getting bullied online and enhancing protective factors for suicide then I’m doing my own little piece of the puzzle as well.

What was your childhood in Grey Lynn like?

It was pretty rough at times but happy. Mum’s Irish French and Dad’s Samoan, both from large families and very Catholic. We always had a full house. Grey Lynn in the 1970s was the gateway to the Pacific and where the Dawn Raids happened. It wasn’t always a nice time. We were told not to answer the door if it was the police. There was a lot of violence but we also felt it was just part of life. My dad, Vui Steve Niumata, became a human rights activist.

What did you want to be growing up?

Anyone with parents from the islands is expected to get a good education. I was supposed to be a lawyer but I ended up doing a doctorate in clinical psychology instead. Dad ran a drug and alcohol rehab centre just outside New Plymouth where we lived when I was aged 9 to 12 so I learned that people with mental illness or in recovery from addiction are just like anyone else. When we moved back to Auckland, Dad set up one of the first Pacific national NGOs, Pacific Motu Trust. I worked there from my teens supporting young offenders back into the community.

What did you learn working at Pacific Motu Trust?

It was the best training ground because you really get to know human behaviour. There wasn’t much formal structure. It was just roll up your sleeves and do what you can. Our follow-up report might be if we see them at church, asking their uncle if they’re on the straight and narrow. NGOs were run on the smell of an oily rag back then. These days the infrastructure is much stronger. The Government’s starting to understand that annual funding doesn’t provide sustainable solutions.

Have you ever been an activist or have you taken a more conservative path?

Unbeknown to most people, I’m really