The number of men taking their own lives has dropped as the number of women rises, according to provisional annual suicide figures.

Chief Coroner Judge Neil MacLean released the figures yesterday, which show 388 men and boys committed suicide for the year ending June 30, 2013, compared to 405 the previous year.

Photo: File.

While suicide numbers for males are down, the number of women and girls taking their own lives has increased from 142 in 2011-2012 to 153.

Judge MacLean says previously the average male to female suicide ratio was about 3 to 1 – but in the last year it is about 2.5 to 1.

According to the figures, 541 people committed suicide in the last year, six fewer than the previous year, and two less than the average number of suicides in the last six years.

Judge MacLean says the annual suicide total has been stubbornly consistent since records began in July 2007 with between 531 and 558 suicides a year.

'Sadly this year is no different and it is frustrating that we cannot seem to make inroads into our unacceptably high suicide rate.

'In spite of this, there have been some positive trends observed in the year. Maori suicide has dropped for the first time since records began, and the number of pre-teen and teen suicides is down from last year.”

In the last year, 69 people in the 10 to 19-year-old age group took their own lives compared to 91 the year before.

In the last year, 105 Maori died by suicide, which is a significant drop after a spike last year of 132 suicides. The average annual number of Maori suicides for the past six years is 104.

Suicides in Christchurch City have also reduced. In 2012/13 there were 68 suicides, compared to 81 the year before and 67 in 2010/11. Prior to the February 2011 earthquake, the Christchurch suicide rate oscillated between 69 and 90 a year since 2007.

'We experienced an immediate drop in suicide in Christchurch post-quake, but last year those numbers began creeping upwards. This trend has been observed elsewhere after a large-scale natural disaster, where there is an immediate drop.”

Associate Health Minister Todd McClay says it's difficult to take something positive out of a situation where so many New Zealanders find their personal circumstance so desperate they feel compelled to take their own lives,” says Todd.

'As Chief Coroner Judge Neil Mclean says overall suicide numbers remain stubbornly high, but progress has been made with noticeably fewer suicides among young New Zealanders and Maori.”

This year saw the release of the New Zealand Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2013–2016. This 30-point action plan is the next step in the Government's commitment to address New Zealand's high suicide rates and builds on work and investment in the suicide prevention area, including previous government programmes.

'The Action Plan has been designed as a programme that engages all New Zealanders,” says Todd.

'It aims to address a range of factors that are associated with suicide including strengthening support for family, whanau and communities and extending existing services, specifically addressing geographical gaps in the coverage of services.”