About MOT

“Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei hea te komako e ko,
Ki mai koe ki ahau, He aha te mea nui o tenei ao?
Maku e ki atu, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata!”

Translation: Pull out the shoot of the flax bush, then where will the bellbird sing? If you were to ask me, what is the greatest thing in this world? I would reply, it is people, it is people it is people.

The proverb above reflects why Ivan has taken up a role within our team as the question of “what is the greatest thing in this world” is asked, for the answer for him “it is people” this may also be seen as “it is life”, which in his eyes is the greatest reward of all, to save a life is to give life. The “rito” within the proverb is a reference to surrounding yourself with the guidance and nurturing, that is required to flourish again, from the people, for the people

Ivan
Maurirere

About the programme

Mates of Tairāwhiti is a not-for-profit programme specialising in suicide prevention training in the workplace. The training usually takes place onsite at your workplace, or we can find a suitable external location. Mates of Tairāwhiti can be presented to any size group. If there is only a small number of participants from an organisation, training can be offered across multiple companies. All participants receive a support services contact details magnet and a wristband identifying the stage of the programme they have completed.

Why is this training important?

• 654 New Zealanders died by suspected suicide in May 2019 - June 2020. The Tairāwhiti region has one of the highest rates of suicide.
• In 2020, 8 times more deaths were due to suicide compared to deaths from workplace accidents
• People working in farming, fisheries, forestry or trades have higher suicide rates than people in other occupations
• Māori make up more that 53% of the Tairāwhiti population and are over represented in the national suicide death toll

Find out more

To find out more about the programme, please contact our Mates of Tairāwhiti Coordinator
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