Country Correspondent: Aisha Gomez
New Zealand has higher suicide rates than most other industrialized countries, and among the highest teenage suicide rates. Newly appointed Health Minister David Clark, M.D., has announced plans to launch a national inquiry into mental health that will seek input from clinical experts as well as families and individuals affected by suicide. In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, Clark backed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s vision of zero suicides in New Zealand by saying “there is no suicide that is acceptable.” He also noted that funding for mental health services has not kept up with demand. The government is currently updating the national suicide prevention strategy, which was released for public comment in 2017.