PM 'not surprised' as King steps away

Mike King.
Mike King.
Prime Minister Bill English says he is not surprised Mike King found it difficult working with the Ministry of Health.

The comedian has resigned from the New Zealand Suicide External Prevention Advisory Panel, saying the Government’s recently released draft plan was ‘‘deeply flawed’’.

Mr King wrote to the Ministry of Health yesterday, saying when he was invited to join the panel, he was optimistic, but his concerns had only increased since.

‘‘At the end of the day, we couldn’t even get you to agree to a target of a 20% reduction in suicide over the next 10 years,’’ he said.

‘‘It is a strategy that is so broad in its effort to please everyone it will eventually collapse under the weight of public expectation.’’

Mr King said all he saw in the Draft Suicide Prevention Plan published last month was ‘‘more of the same’’.

He said yesterday the 20% target was ‘‘absolutely realistic’’.

He went further, saying New Zealand should aim for a suicide rate of zero.

‘‘If everyone goes home tonight, sits down with their families and says ‘We are going to have zero suicides in our family for the rest of this year. If anyone feels like they need to talk to someone I am here — who can I talk to?’

‘‘If we all individually target zero in our families, better support them, and have the information put in front of us that we can better support them, then guess what, targeting zero is absolutely achievable.’’

Mr King plans to keep working in the field of suicide prevention.

‘‘I haven’t quit doing what I’m doing. I’m just not going to waste any more time on a failed plan that has failed for the last 10 years and will not have my name associated with this current plan which is more of the same.’’

Mr English said Mr King had been a very committed anti-suicide campaigner.

‘‘He has a particular style in which he does that, and I’m not surprised at all that he finds the ministry’s way of going about things not necessarily to his liking,’’ he said.

‘‘It would be better if he stayed.

‘‘I know the direct and committed way in which he works.’’

Mr King said the education, health, social development and justice ministries have no idea what each other are doing, so they are doubling up in some areas and short in other areas.

One of the first things the panel agreed on was that there should be a clear target for the country to move towards.

‘‘We want the New Zealand public to take this seriously — we wanted to set a clear percentage goal on suicide prevention.’’

But the draft proposal had removed that target and is extremely vague in its aspirations, Mr King said.

‘‘The plan has buried all new ideas in such impenetrable language they are beyond recognition and unlikely to ever see the light of day.

‘‘It would be funny if people weren’t dying.’’

Mr King said the draft plan ignored recommendations from the panel, continues to fund ‘‘failed experiments’’, is an almost word-for-word repeat of the last strategy, and will further isolate vulnerable New Zealanders.

Where to go for help

Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or 09 522 2999
Suicide Prevention Helpline: 0508 828865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
Youthline: 0800 376 633 or free text 234
Samaritans: 0800 726 666

 - additional reporting NZN