Children and teenagers make a lot of noise, when they're suddenly not there you notice the silence. When your child suddenly passes away, or your brother, or someone you know, and there are questions about why it happened, you wonder if you didn't listen carefully enough to what they were trying to tell you, if there was something that you missed.
Wairarapa had more than double the national rate of suicide - AGAIN! This is the fourth year in a row that Wairarapa has recorded the highest rates of self harm in New Zealand. Wairarapa had a rate of 162.3 people hospitalised for self-harm for every 100,000 people in 2010, according to figures released today, over twice the national rate of 66 per 100,000.
Chief Coroner Judge Neil MacLean released provisional annual suicide statistics for the year ending 30 June 2012 today, and some of his comments on this disgraceful and shameful national problem. Good on him for speaking up.
This is the third year Judge MacLean has made the annual suicide statistics available, and tried to encourage New Zealanders to address this problem, identify it, name it, talk about it, and take constructive and effective action to stop it and prevent it. Judge MacLean says we are going backwards, not forwards, and that indicates that the current methods of dealing with the problem are not working.
Of particular concern is the 15 to 19-year-old age group, which, at 37, was almost double the average of the previous four years.
"I am concerned that we seem to be making no impact (on youth suicide rates), there's no visible downward trend at all," MacLean, said.
"Other ethnic groups remain much the same - Asian Pacifica, non-Maori - but the Maori statistics, that's concerning."
Suicides in the 15 to 19-year-old age group were up from 56 in 2010-11 to 80 in 2011-12.
Shockingly, the report records a suicide among the five to nine-year-old age group.
It is the youngest suicide case the Ministry of Justice's Coronial Services Unit (CSU) has dealt with since comprehensive records began in 2007.
The Coronial Services Unit suicide figures for 2010 differ from Ministry of Health figures released last month. There are several reasons for this. The classification system used by the Ministry of Health to code underlying cause of death is not strictly comparable with the system used by CSU to assign 'intent'. CSU data includes active cases before Coroners where intent has yet to be conclusively established. This means that the CSU figures include deaths that may eventually be found not to be suicides. In addition, Ministry of Health figures are recorded by calendar year.
Over the past year, the number of Maori suicides have increased across most age groups. NZ is going backwards in this disgraceful and shameful blight on our society.
The Mental Health Foundation Suicide Prevention Information NZ has links to other reports on their website, unfortunately they are out of touch with what's really going on and instead of addressing the real problems in the Wairarapa community (which regularly has around twice the national average of suicide, ) of injustice and police corruption, and systemic bullying and abuse, they promote police propaganda instead. One of the major concerns shared by many friends and family of suicide victims (and others in the community) in the Wairarapa is the message "talk to someone", and the role of the police in dealing with suicides and victims of violence, abuse, and bullying, and the way the policy of "information sharing" is being implemented. The police have been under investigation for around five years regarding the discovery of systemic concealment and destruction of hundreds of child abuse complaints. When victims of violence, abuse and bullying try and pluck up the courage to speak up, only a fraction manage to find that courage and do so, and when the police compound the problem by reabusing the victim and protecting the offender, it's not hard to work out the results. The victims learn a lesson and are discouraged from speaking up, and the offenders are empowered. There is definitely a link between incompetence and corruption within the local police and 'community agencies' and the outrageous local suicide rates.
There is not just one cause of suicide, there are many, every one is unique, although there are many things in common, and many identifiable causes - and solutions. Factors such as poverty and unemployment drive many suicides, abuse and bullying are common causes, inappropriate medication and other 'treatment', a sense of hopelessness and injustice. Poor self esteem and boredom are common factors in some. All these things can be changed.
Friends of Caring Kiwi Communities is working to establish a united network of Community Resource Centre and Community Gardens to strengthen Kiwi communities in practical and constructive ways, and address the real problems in our communities as individuals instead of a one size fits all approach. We had a real Community Centre in Carterton, and community gardens, until they were taken over by a group of individuals who were mainly associated with the District Council, a major funder of the Centre. They transformed a great community resource into a cash cow for themselves, despite the obvious conflicts of interest, before being forced to close it down when other funders became aware of what was going on. The Councillors and their mates then obtained another few million dollars and built an 'Event Centre', which they use to spread propaganda rather than provide resources and facilitate constructive and inclusive dialogue.
Local initiatives generally operate for the benefit of the people running them rather than the clients, and the standard of the people running them leaves a lot to be desired, and is an insult to the clients in many cases, with many of the people running these organisations having been in the positions for far too long, and they only maintain the positions by excluding people from their AGMs and other meetings by the use of trespass notices, etc, as the committee of the Carterton Community Centre and local Council, etc did. Siobahn Garlick, the manager of 'New Directions' doesn't seem to know the difference between "loonies and alcoholics" - what an insult to mental health patients or anyone suffering from depression! Vulnerable people in our community need a FOCKCer Community Resource Centre and Community Gardens, NOT the insult to the intelligence currently being provided by they myriad of ineffective 'community organisastions' flourishing under such ridiculous community leaders as Georgina Beyer, Gary McPhee and Ron Mark! These so called 'community leaders' are adding to the problem - not solving it! Kiwi kids deserve better than this - we all do! (To be continued).
Local initiatives generally operate for the benefit of the people running them rather than the clients, and the standard of the people running them leaves a lot to be desired, and is an insult to the clients in many cases, with many of the people running these organisations having been in the positions for far too long, and they only maintain the positions by excluding people from their AGMs and other meetings by the use of trespass notices, etc, as the committee of the Carterton Community Centre and local Council, etc did. Siobahn Garlick, the manager of 'New Directions' doesn't seem to know the difference between "loonies and alcoholics" - what an insult to mental health patients or anyone suffering from depression! Vulnerable people in our community need a FOCKCer Community Resource Centre and Community Gardens, NOT the insult to the intelligence currently being provided by they myriad of ineffective 'community organisastions' flourishing under such ridiculous community leaders as Georgina Beyer, Gary McPhee and Ron Mark! These so called 'community leaders' are adding to the problem - not solving it! Kiwi kids deserve better than this - we all do! (To be continued).
Many corrupt police support the actions of their mates in the 'community agencies', and promote their policy of illegal and destructive information sharing with these people.
We're always hearing "we need more resources" - well we don't. What we need is some accountability regarding how our taxpayer and ratepayer funds are being wasted! Look at how much money was wasted locking me up in a secure facility for the criminally insane, with people convicted of murder and manslaughter, after a corrupt 'psychiatrist', Brenda Sally Rimkeit, and a few of her equally corrupt colleagues, conspired to label me with "Delusional Disorder" and locked me up for months for criticising local police for very good reasons supported with indisputable evidence (not to mention all the money wasted on the campaign of malicious and vexatious charges brought against me). This money was wasted on a person who didn't have a mental illness (and Rimkeit and her colleagues knew this perfectly well), while there are hundreds if not thousands of New Zealanders who are desperately in need of those resources! What a chilling insight that was into how mental health patients are treated in this country too! Medication is the order of the day, it's all I was offered - my "Treatment Plan" states that I am not to be given writing materials, paper etc, no mail in or out, no phone calls in or out, no visitors - what kind of "treatment" is that?! Local mental health 'services' are an absolute disgrace, as evidenced by the link above to the 'New Directions' managers! Talk about the Emperor's new clothes!
There is evidence on the information I have received that there were a number of and untrue statements and allegations used to detain me illegally in the two mental health facilities, including claims that I had attempted suicide, and made lots of unwarranted complaints to police "when she previously lived in Wellington" according to the local constable. I have never attempted suicide and that's why there is no evidence of that anywhere, and I made no complaints to police whatsoever when I previously lived in Wellington, but the point is that the treatment for this alleged disorder was medication. Dangerous, strong medication intended for 'illnesses' I did not have. I was forcibly injected if I refused to take the pills, and what happened to me should ring alarm bells in the mind of every right thinking person,because if it can happen to me it can happen to anyone, and it's happening right here, it's taxpayer funded corruption. The same police who are under investigation for covering up hundreds of child abuse cases and refusing to investigate them, are persecuting innocent people and wasting millions of dollars of taxpayer funds pursuing personal vendettas and actually covering up crime. When you examine the collusion and conspiracy of the other parties, the scale and magnitude of the problem becomes apparent, as do the implications.
Boredom and poor self esteem are common elements. FOCKCer Community Resource Centres and Community Gardens, including gardens in schools address these issues constructively, as well as having other obvious benefits. Local journalists ignore the bullying going on regarding the local community gardens and the South End School garden, while promoting their friends' initiatives. Let's Get Growing NZ and FOCKCer school gardens teach kids to grow their own kai, not just expect a handout. Handouts are OK, but teaching kids to grow and prepare their own kai addresses boredom, improves self esteem, it's a wonderful thing. Like eating lots of fresh organic fruit and vegetables, it's not rocket science, but it can lead to it :)
The gardens need tending over the summer, and the FOCKCers holiday program provide consistent care of the school gardens over the holidays, as well as holiday programs, including first aid courses, music tuition, art workshops, bicycle maintenance lessons, and a suggestion box for the inclusion of other activities of interest to the communities, the possibilities are endless. There's a lot of unemployment, but there's a lot of skilled people who can help teach those skills to others. We do Pet Therapy too, interacting with animals is very therapeutic indeed, and much more fun than just medication.
We need to get rid of the people running the failing 'community services' and support the ones with proven success - Friends of Caring Kiwi Communities (the FOCKCers) works to put the unity back in our communities, through the Let's Get Growing NZ program and Transparency NZ, establishing community resource centres and community gardens in every community, encouraging everyone to grow their own food, establishing gardens in schools and programs using gardening to teach a wide variety of life skills, including suicide prevention skills, and provide a safe environment to talk with people trained to respond appropriately and provide practical and effective support according to the needs of the individual.
5:30 am Thursday the 6th September, it's just been reported that Gabrielle Meyrick has died, aged just 17, in Masterton, last Sunday. Kiwi kids deserve better than this.
Judge Maclean said suicide had to be brought out of the shadows and he was worried by the increases in certain demographics.
"I am concerned that we seem to be making no impact - there has been no visible downward trend at all. Our job is to tell the public the facts - I am no more qualified to suggest an answer or a solution than anyone.
"My hunch is there is a link. People don't commit suicide because they're poor, it's because they feel utterly at the end of their tether, but it doesn't help if you've got no money."
He's spot on about all the useless and uncoordinated community agencies! They are creating problems, not solving them! They don't provide advocacy - they might provide an extremely limited amount of it but the fact is that none of the agencies or organisations operating locally provide advocacy and there is a huge amount of correspondence documenting that, much of it on this site.
They're all focussed on the funding, not their clients. Friends of Caring Kiwi Communities is all about co-ordination, we put the unity back in our communities, and help everyone pull together. We ensure services are focussed on needs, and that money's not wasted on the same old people and their 'community organisations' that benefit the people running them - not the clients. 'An ageing society that doesn't care for it's young has a death wish' is how Dame Anne Salmond describes it. We need support - we don't just have bullying in schools, we have bullies RUNNING the schools, serious, blatant incompetence and corruption, and nobody is doing anything about it, none of the government agencies who are supposed to, not the Police, the IPCA or the Ombudsmen, none of them. Transparency NZ is exposing them for what they are, and taking constructive action to prevent suicide through a community garden program, establishing gardens in schools and trained facilitators, and together with the FOCKCers and Let's Get Growing NZ, we're making a difference, and we need support.
The message being given to kids at risk is "Talk to someone" - the problem is that the people you get to talk to in the Wairarapa are incompetent and corrupt, and in many cases they are the very people perpetrating the abuse, and they've been doing it for years Barry Taylor refused to engage with the people who mattered, other so called 'experts' are nothing more than attention seeking idiots. People like this are causing more harm than good! What these people think the community organisations are doing is so far removed from reality it's an insult to the people in need of help around here!
Kiwi kids deserve better than this, they deserve Friends of Caring Kiwi Communities, not NARK, not New Directions, or any of those other 'initiatives' where the staff are more worried about their own jobs and their funding than they are about their clients. We provide real services to the community, we provide community resource centres and community gardens, advocacy, Pet Therapy, tuition in a range of life skills and extra curricular activities, people to talk to who care, and who are trained to take effective and appropriate action when required, and provide effective and appropriate support.
Kids as young as eight are being treated for anorexia. Another reason for gardens in schools and healthy eating programs and healthy relationships with food.
A 25 year old was killed yesterday after being struck by a train, police say it was a deliberate act.
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