Being ''gently'' open about suicide helped remove the taboos around the topic and meant support for those affected could be more easily accessed, the former chief coroner told a meeting in Alexandra this week.
Judge Neil MacLean served for eight years as this country's first chief coroner and retired from the role in February.
The Alexandra meeting was organised by the Otago Suicide Prevention Trust and about 50 people attended.
During his tenure as chief coroner, Judge MacLean advocated a ''gentle opening up'' of conversations about suicide and reporting in the media on the topic.
''The reality is, when something like a suicide happens in the community, word gets around quickly, particularly with young people involved. They're aware of it through social media, but often misinformation spreads too, so it's better to be open about it.''
Then support systems could swing into action more easily, he said.
His stance on the subject attracted ''push-back from some quarters'' but he believed the mainstream media could handle the topic responsibly.
The public needed to know the information about suicide, including accurate statistics, rather than ''fudging'' the truth, he said.
The suicide rate had not dropped in the years when discussion about it was a taboo topic.
In reply to a question from the floor, Judge MacLean said children from about the age of 9 or 10 should be involved in conversations and education about the topic.
''It's a bit like sex education, though. The ideal person to have that conversation with the child is their parents or caregiver, but that doesn't always happen.''
Pike River, the Canterbury earthquakes and the Carterton hot air balloon tragedy all happened during his tenure.
Judge MacLean works in the district court now, as an ACC appeals judge.
