Those working on the ground level believe they have made progress and at an event held in Kawerau at the weekend promoted the motto “It’s not OK to go that way”.
Bay of Plenty has the third highest rate of suicide in the country. In 2011, 13 people committed suicide in Kawerau alone. Lakota John of Dakota who is working with Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau says that it's about finding the root cause of the issues.
For Manaaki Karekare who has been affected by suicide says that talking about it helps.
The Riders Against Teenage Suicide are in negotiations with other tribes to run events like this keeping the message alive.
