Health New Zealand

Northern Region – Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinators: Te Tai Tokerau 2026

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is seeking proposals from suitably qualified providers to deliver Youth Suicide Prevention services across Te Tai Tokerau.
Services will provide community-based prevention and early intervention support that addresses the wider social, environmental, and wellbeing factors that can increase vulnerability to suicide among young people.

Death by suicide is devastating for the individuals’ families, friends and the local and digital communities. Data from the Chief Coroner’s office, along with local police notifications, indicate the urgent need to prioritise suicide prevention and postvention responses for communities.

Improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes for people across Aotearoa New Zealand is a key priority for both the Government and Health New Zealand. Ministry of Health trend data informs us that:

• Suicide rates for Māori are significantly higher than for non-Māori,
• Suicide rates for males are higher than for females, and
•The 15th Child and Youth Mortality Review identified that suicide was the third leading category of death of children and young people, with 24.6% - the Northern region has two of the highest areas of youth populations in New Zealand.

Every Life Matters – He Tapu Oranga o ai Tangata: Suicide Prevention Strategy 2019 – 2029 sets out an aspirational framework supporting suicide prevention. The framework consists of a suicide prevention continuum from promoting wellbeing, through to responding to suicidal distress and behaviours to postvention supports and supporting after a suicide. This procurement seeks providers capable of delivering:

• 3.0 FTE Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinators across Te Tai Tokerau.

Services will provide community-based prevention and early intervention support that addresses the wider social, environmental, and wellbeing factors that can increase vulnerability to suicide among young people.

Department/Business Unit: Northern Region