The New Zealand Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2008–2012 provides detail about how the goals of the New Zealand Suicide Prevention Strategy 2006–2016 will be achieved over the next five years. The Action Plan describes the types of actions required across the range of sectors involved in suicide prevention.
The Action Plan is made up of two companion documents. These documents are best read together.
- The Summary for Action provides detailed tables outlining outcomes, actions, milestones, Whānau Ora considerations, timeframes, and agencies responsible for implementing the actions.
- The Evidence for Action provides detail about the evidence, rationale and context underlying the actions.
Purpose
In 2006 the Government released the New Zealand Suicide Prevention Strategy 2006–2016 (the Strategy), which provides a high-level framework for reducing the rates of suicide and suicidal behaviour in New Zealand (Associate Minister of Health 2006).
Subsequently, the New Zealand Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2008–2012 (the Action Plan) has been developed to translate the goals of this Strategy into action. The Action Plan is the Government’s statement of how the Strategy will be implemented over the next five years. The Action Plan will:
- provide a uniform set of evidence-based directions to guide suicide prevention activities
- help identify where new investment is needed
- assist government and non-government policy advisors, service planners, service providers, researchers, professional groups and communities to work more closely together to gain a common understanding of where they fit within the overall spectrum of suicide prevention.
This detailed programme of action is based on the best available evidence and encompasses the spectrum of suicide prevention initiatives in New Zealand. It is intended primarily as a guide for government and non-government agencies involved in planning, funding and delivery of suicide prevention initiatives.
The Action Plan is not intended to be a ‘best-practice’ guideline or a detailed prescription for how specific suicide prevention activities should be provided at a local level.
This document is one of two companion documents that make up the Action Plan.
- The New Zealand Suicide Prevention Action Plan – The Evidence for Action is intended for those who wish to gain a better understanding of suicide prevention and in particular the evidence behind the recommended actions. An introductory chapter provides the context for action, including the scope of the issues, key considerations for Māori and issues for specific population groups. Each of the following seven chapters maps onto one of the seven goals of the Strategy. Each chapter describes in detail: the rationale and justification for the goal, including the evidence base; key areas for consideration in relation to the goal; a review of relevant current New Zealand initiatives; perspectives for Māori as tangata whenua; issues for other population groups; and key areas for action.
- This document, The New Zealand Suicide Prevention Action Plan – The Summary for Action, is intended for all those involved in funding, planning and delivering suicide prevention activities. It summarises the information outlined in The Evidence for Action and brings the actions to the forefront. It identifies outcomes, actions, milestones, whānau ora considerations, timeframes and the lead agency or agencies responsible for implementing the actions. Agencies will be monitored against the actions outlined in each table. Through this monitoring, the Government will be able to measure progress towards achieving the goals of the Strategy.