The Wire with Joel

A brief warning that this story contains multiple mentions of suicide.

A new Ipsos study has revealed that three quarters of New Zealands youth has experienced immense mental distress and fourty percent have seriously considered self harm or suicide over the past year.

This issue isn’t only taking place for young people, though - 61% of  people between the ages of 35 and 49 said they were stressed to the point they couldn’t cope, and 30% reported feeling suicidal. 

With Aotearoa holding one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world, the mental health foundation sez that the current system is in crisis, and urgent action needs to be taken.

Liam Hansen spoke to the MHF CEO, Shaun Robinson, about the Ipsos survey and what needs to change in Aotearoa to improve our suicide rates.

New reports have recently revealed that, despite the government's investments into mental health, there are the same number of acute mental health beds available in Aotearoa as there were five years ago. 

This report has also come as new ministry of health figures have shown some improvements to the general health sector since 2017, as well as new possibilities for pharmacists to treat minor ailments. 

All that and more was covered in Tuva's chat with Health Minister Andrew Little for this week. 

The COP27 summit has recently concluded, resulting in some more plans to tackle climate change being put in place but less effort on wide scale action with the urgency needed. 

The international conference took place in Egypt, and saw a new focus on implementation and the way climate change disproportionately affects developing nations.

Liam had a chat with Climate Minister and Green Party Co-leader James Shaw about his outlook after attending the conference, and the current state of climate policy in NZ. 

This week on the Tuesday Wire, Allan Blackman joined Casper and Milly in the studio for our Dear Science segment.

Casper spoke to National Party MP Dr Shane Reti about their new Youth Offenders policy announced last week.

Daniel put together a package on the movement to lower the voting age to 16, speaking to Make it 16 cofounder Sanat Singh and Greens MP Golriz Ghahraman.

And Milly had a chat with Kristina Hillock about a new Hector dolphin sighting and updated dolphin recording methods.