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The principal of Ōtaki College on the Kapiti Coast has hit out at his District Health Board for what he says is a lack of support during a string of suspected suicides.
Andy Fraser says there have been four deaths in the small town of just 8000 in the past five weeks, including a student from his school.
And it's not just in Ōtaki - there have been more than 600 around the country in the past year - that's nearly double the road toll.
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No one Newshub spoke to could pinpoint why had been so many deaths in Ōtaki recently.
While there is no indication of any link, in the nearby city of Porirua there have six suspected suicides this year.
Mr Fraser says the weight of the past five weeks is bearing down on him and it's important for the country to start talking more openly about mental health.
"The continual searching for, as adults, what we're doing about what's going on for our young people," he told Newshub.
A 15-year-old Ōtaki College student is among those being mourned.
His parents spoke to Newshub, but did not want to be identified as their pain is still too raw.
"We're not a family that have any drug or alcohol dependency issues (and) there's no abuse. It's a loving family," the couple said.
They're tormented by what they could have done differently.
"It's about not letting them slip into that mode where they start pulling away from your family activities," they said.
Three others are being mourned - two people in their early 20s, including a former Ōtaki College student, and a man in his early 30s.
While the trauma from suicide may perhaps be felt more intensely in a small close knit community, it's difficult to find anyone in our country that hasn't been impacted by suicide.
The ripple effect of each death in Ōtaki has been felt across the community - impacting students, parents, teachers, family and friends.
"(There is) this overwhelming sense of failure that they may not have picked up on something or that they're missed something," Mr Fraser said.
"We've got a guidance counsellor in our college who is nothing short of super-human at times and she's left constantly wandering what next that she will have to deal with."
Not only is the Ōtaki College counsellor fully booked, Mr Fraser says there's been no mental health support from MidCentral DHB after all of the trauma.
"We've made pleas with them to review - they haven't. They're made promises around what they will follow up - they haven't. That leaves me incredibly concerned," Mr Fraser said.
MidCentral DHB mental health and addictions operations executive Vanessa Caldwell told Newshub it did provide an extra counsellor after the teenager's death and the school may have not been clear about its needs.
But Ms Caldwell admits: "Clearly we've fallen down in our on-going support for the community there".
She says that as a result the DHB is now reviewing the level of support it offers any school in the district following any future traumatic events.
The parents of the 15-year-old say on-going counselling for bereaved families would also go a long way.
"Thoughts just whirl around, constantly asking funny questions of yourself. It would be nice to have someone to go: 'that's really normal'," the boy's father said.
Just like the parents of the boy, Mr Fraser says answering the question why is complex and at times impossible.
"Giving people positive comments about who they are, what they are, building up and not knocking them down - that be the Kiwi way," Mr Fraser said.
Mr Fraser knows first-hand what parents in his community are going through - his own son took his life almost 10 years ago.
"One of the things that we've got to continue to do is continue to break down those social issues around talking about this topic," he said.
"We've got to stop people thinking they can't talk because the family is always in question about what they might not have done or the issues that they might have because the reality is suicide knows no boundaries."
MidCentral DHB met with Mr Fraser on Friday night. They have promised extra counselling services for the school from next year.
The Ōtaki Medical Centre in Ōtaki also told Newshub there was a huge demand for mental health resources in the town itself and is significantly under-resourced.
The medical centre said part of the problem is that Ōtaki sits on the fringe of two DHBs which means locals have to travel out of town for expert help.
MidCentral DHB says it will have a plan in place by the end of year to get extra resources for all ages in Ōtaki.
Where to find help and support:
Need to Talk? - Call or text 1737
Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland
Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
Samaritans - 0800 726 666
- Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
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