133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
21 November 2024
Rodney Parsons
By email: [FYI request #29004 email]
Ref:
H2024055078
Tēnā koe Rodney
Response to your request for official information
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to the Ministry of
Health – Manatū Hauora (the Ministry) on 31 October 2024 for information about alcohol and
suicide prevention. Please find a response to each part of your request below.
Please provide figures on how many suicides alcohol was implicated in, each year for as
far back as possible.
Break the data into subgroups that are readily available- age groups, gender, ethnicity and
geography (e.g. rural vs urban).
On 13 November 2024, you were advised that these parts of your request have been
transferred to Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora in accordance with section 14(b)(i) of the
Act. You can expect a response from Health New Zealand in due course
([email address]).
Please provide the ministry's position on the role of alcohol in suicide- for instance is it
considered a helpful suicide prevention aide, or is it considered to contribute to suicide.
Describe the role and key evidence ministry has relied on for its position.
It is important to note while the Act allows New Zealanders to ask for information from
government agencies, there is no requirement for agencies to provide or prove an opinion. The
Act does not support requests where an opinion, comment, argument, or hypothetical statement
is put to the Ministry for response, couched as a request for information. Therefore, this part of
your request is refused under section 18(g)(i) of the Act.
There are a number of resources publicly available about alcohol and suicide prevention in New
Zealand which you may find helpful that can be found at the following links:
• Evidence synthesis of the research on Suicide Prevention and Postvention; Aotearoa
New Zealand
: www.health.govt.nz/publications/evidence-synthesis-of-the-research-on-
suicide-prevention-and-postvention-aotearoa-new-zealand-and#mig.
• Costs of alcohol harms in New Zealand: Updating the evidence with recent research:
www.health.govt.nz/publications/costs-of-alcohol-harms-in-new-zealand-updating-the-
evidence-with-recent-research.
• Empowering community control over alcohol availability as a suicide and self-harm
prevention measure: Policy opportunity in Aotearoa:
www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(22)00246-2/ful text.
• Sex-specific analysis of acute alcohol use in suicides and reporting of alcohol as a
contributor to suicide deaths in New Zealand 2007-2020: a cross-sectional study of
coronial data
: https:/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39418606/.
Please note some of the key points from these resources about the link between alcohol and
suicide in New Zealand are well established internationally:
• 26.5% of suicide deaths in New Zealand of those aged 15 or over between July 2007 –
December 2020 involved acute alcohol use.
• Suicide was more likely to involve acute alcohol use among Māori and Pasifika females.
Māori females had a 35% greater risk of their suicide involving acute alcohol use
compared to European females; Pasifika females had a 75% increased risk.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this decision, please feel
free to contact the OIA Services Team on
: [email address].
Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review any
decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at:
[email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.
Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Manatū Hauora website at:
www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/information-releases/responses-
official-information-act-requests.
Nāku noa, nā
Kiri Richards
Associate Deputy Director-General
Clinical, Community and Mental Health | Te Pou Whakakaha
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