1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,080 Speaker 1: So the government's having another crackit mental health. We've got 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: a new suicide Prevention Action Plan. This is a five 3 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: year old of government approach. Thirty six million's been set aside, 4 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:11,080 Speaker 1: prevention fund for rural and young people, crisis recovery cafes, 5 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: expanding suicide prevention training. Sewan Robinson is the Mental Health 6 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:16,800 Speaker 1: Foundation boss and is back well the shew and good 7 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: morning to you. 8 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:19,120 Speaker 2: Good morning Mike. 9 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 1: You like what you see? Is this any different or 10 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: more of the same. 11 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 2: I'd say we're grateful for small mercies. I think this 12 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 2: plan does take us forward in some areas, and there 13 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 2: is some new resource applied to it, but we are 14 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 2: in a very resource constrained environment at the moment when 15 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 2: there's not a lot of funding from government around. So yeah, 16 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 2: well everybody will do their best with what's available here, 17 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:52,880 Speaker 2: but there's a lot more that could be done. 18 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: How much is needed? I mean we got one point 19 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: nine and what was it, the famous you know, the 20 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: Goodwill budget or the good Living over the hell Grant 21 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: Robertson called it's another thirty So how much is needed? 22 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: How many billions do you need? 23 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 2: Well, look, mental health is a huge issue across the 24 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 2: whole New Zealand population, and it's been undercooked and under 25 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 2: resourced and underscoped for decades, in fact forever really, So 26 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,760 Speaker 2: you know, people may think that one point nine billion 27 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 2: was a huge number and should have fixed everything. 28 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: But well, it is a huge number. 29 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 2: Well it is a big number, but you know, when 30 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 2: you consider what gets spent on the whole of health, 31 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 2: you know, it's it's not a very big number. But 32 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 2: you know, we're talking here about an additional nineteen million 33 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 2: a year going into suicide prevention, which brings the whole 34 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 2: budget around suicide prevention you know, up to under forty 35 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 2: million a year. So that's not a very big number 36 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 2: for what is one of the biggest causes of preventable 37 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 2: death in New Which. 38 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: Was my next question. Are we an outlier in the 39 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: Western world? Is there something wrong with our mental health 40 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: that we're particularly vulnerable or are we just like every 41 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: other Western country. 42 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 2: Well, look, we're not as much of an outlier as 43 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 2: people portray it. That rising suicide numbers or persistently high 44 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 2: suicide is a global issue. We have particularly high youth suicide, 45 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,359 Speaker 2: but again we're not the only country in the world 46 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:39,360 Speaker 2: that has that issue. So it's not quite true that 47 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 2: New Zealand is just getting this completely wrong. That doesn't 48 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 2: mean that we don't need to do everything we can 49 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 2: to reduce these numbers. Now, on the other hand, the 50 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 2: numbers have been starting to come down a bit in 51 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 2: the last three or four years. You know, they're still 52 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 2: persistently high, but we need to remember that there are 53 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 2: far more stories of hope than there are of the spare. Yeah. 54 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: Good, well, I'm encouraged a boy that really quickly because 55 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: I'm sure on time. Is it pure money or is 56 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: it resource as well? In other words, you could have 57 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: the money, you just can't get the people. 58 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 2: Look, it's a bit of both. 59 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: Now. 60 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 2: You need the money in order to train and hire 61 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 2: the people, but you know, definitely more money to create 62 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 2: more services, to do more training, to put more training 63 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 2: into school so young people are able to cope with 64 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 2: emotions and with life's curve board. All of those things 65 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 2: are important. 66 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: Fantastic, Sean, appreciate your time, Good luck with the work. 67 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: Shawn Robinson, Mental Health Foundation. 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