Suicide Bereavement Support Group

Each month we run a bereavement support group led by trained facilitators with lived experience. This group is for people who are bereaved by suicide, and is taken by trained facilitators and supported by the Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust | Te Whare Oranga Ngākau.

It is a friendly coffee group atmosphere and you are most welcome to bring a support person along. Please contact us prior to attending to RSVP.

If you cannot attend our monthly support group then please do join our online group that you access any time of the day or night. It is called Life Matters Suicide Bereavement Support. Click here to go to the group.

We provide free and independent advice to people following the suicide of a loved one while under the care of state services such as Te Whatu Ora (Healthcare NZ) and Corrections. You may have many questions so please do contact us.
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Our petition (link here) has been delivered to the House of Representatives to request that all bereaved get a fair representation and support during inquests, hearings on papers and other inquiries. We were invited by the Justice Committee to deliver written feedback and we are now waiting on an update from them.

If you need more information about coronial processes please do contact us. Remember you have every right to know who your coroner is and to ask when your hearing on papers or inquest will take place. You also have every right to ask other questions and also to provide feedback to the coroner. You also have a right to be treated with respect and ask for explanations if you do not understand the process. At a time where we are struggling with grief we should be given extra support.

We are developing an Aftermath 101 manual to help people going through coronial processes and other inquiries when families cannot afford legal representation. Stay tuned or contact us for more information.
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Partial delivery for whānau stuck in the coronial system

Life Matters is very pleased to see that Budget 2022 delivered a package of investment to improve the coronial system and reduce delays for grieving families and whānau. It is a crucial but small change in helping to ensure a speedier outcome for coronial cases. However, there is much more work to be done for suicide bereaved whānau who find themselves in this position for the first time in their lives- having to negotiate through a minefield of the unknown while in a state of distress and vulnerability. It is an impossible task- even for highly competent people who are very able under normal circumstances, especially when they have no legal knowledge or experience. We need to protect the rights of suicide bereaved whānau in Aotearoa New Zealand so that they are well supported throughout the coronial processes. To read more about this please follow this link.

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