John MacDonald: Money for restaurant reviewers, but not for Lifeline

Slightly ironic, don’t you think, that on the day people up and down the country are turning up at work and school wearing their gumboots for Gumboot Friday, we’ve got Lifeline saying it can’t keep running on the smell of an oily rag and has to cut back on services. 

Which means no one answering the phone or replying to text messages between midnight and 7am. 

Call them then and you’ll get a message saying you’ve reached them out of hours and to call back later. 

Which is not how Lifeline has done things for the past 60-odd years. It’s become known, hasn’t it, as a 24/7 option for people needing help on the mental health front night and day. 

And you’ve got to say that if a service has lasted more than 60 years and gets the number of calls for help that it gets and genuinely helps the number of people that it helps, then they know what they’re doing and what they’re doing is valuable and needed. 

Needed not just 17 hours a day, but needed 24 hours a day. And the numbers show it. 

In the year to June, Lifeline responded to more than 40,000 calls, 182,000 text messages, and created 4736 safety plans for people in need. 

Break that down and that’s about 110 phone calls every day, 365 days a year. About 500 text messages every day, 365 days a year. And, on average, that’s 12 safety plans written for people every day of the year. 

It’s the 12 safety plans every day that shows why Lifeline is such gold. Because, when someone is at the point of needing a safety plan, they are really desperate aren’t they? 

Shaun Greaves is chief executive of Presbyterian Support Northern, which runs Lifeline. He’s saying today: “Lifeline saves lives every week and remains a critical frontline service New Zealand's suicide prevention network. 

“Without immediate government support, Lifeline’s ability to deliver the critical service New Zealand desperately needs is a serious concern.” 

So, let’s say the Government did come to Lifeline’s rescue – how much would the taxpayer be up for? 

Two million dollars a year. That’s the funding gap that is forcing Lifeline to cut back on services and ditch its overnight operation. 

This is at the same time as the Government, through Tourism NZ, is spending $6 million getting the Michelin Star people to come over here to eat at our fancy restaurants and see if they're worthy of being ranked up there with the best restaurants in the world. 

The Government spending $6 million on restaurant reviewers and not spending $2 million on Lifeline is nothing short of moral bankruptcy. 

Part of the problem is NZ First and its non-negotiables, because it said before the last election that it would fund Mike King’s Gumboot Friday. That’s why Winston Peters was crowing after last year’s Budget when Gumboot Friday was given $24 million in funding. 

Which really must stick in Lifeline’s craw when you consider the difference $2 million would make to its service, let alone the difference it would make to the people who need Lifeline. 

Especially the people who need it between midnight and 7am, but whose calls and messages won’t be responded to. 

“You’ve reached us out of hours” is the last thing Lifeline wants to be saying to people. And it’s the last thing desperate people need to hear. 

But, unless the Government does something, that’s what’s going to happen.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Slightly ironic, don't you think, just think about it, slightly
ironic that on the day people up and down the
country are turning up at work and turning up at
school wearing their gun boots for gumboot Friday. Don't you
think it's kind of ironic that at the same time
that's happening, we've got Lifeline saying that they can't keep

(00:33):
running on the smell of an oily rag and they're
having to cut back on services, which is going to
mean no one answering the phone at Lifeline or replying
to text messages between midnight and seven in the morning.
Call them then and you'll get a message saying you've
reached them out of house and a call back later.

(00:54):
That's really what you need when you're in desperation or
when you are desperate. And it's not how Lifeline has
done things for the past sixty odd years. I mean,
it's become known, hasn't it, as a twenty four to
seven option for anyone needing help on the mental health front?
Twenty four to seven night and day. And you've got

(01:17):
to say that if a service has lasted more than
sixty years and gets the number of calls for help
that it gets and also genuinely helps the number of
people that it helps, then you've got to say that
they know what they're doing and that what Lifeline is
doing is valuable and needed needed not just seventeen hours

(01:42):
a day, but needed twenty four hours a day, and
the numbers show just how needed it is. In the
year to June, Lifeline responded to more than forty thousand calls,
one hundred and eighty two thousand text messages, and created
four seven hundred and thirty six safety plans for people

(02:04):
in need. You break that down, that's about one hundred
ten calls every day, three hundred and sixty five days
a year, about five hundred text messages every day, three
hundred and sixty five days a year, and on average,
that's about twelve safety plans written for people every day
of the year. And it's those twelve safety plans every

(02:28):
day of the year that shows why Lifeline is such
gold because when someone is at the point of needing
a safety plan, well, they really are desperate, aren't they. Now.
Sean Grieves, as chief executive of Presbyterian Support Northern, which
runs Lifeline, and he's saying today, quote Lifeline saves lives

(02:49):
every week and remains a critical frontline service in terms
of New Zealand's suicide prevention network. He says, quote without
immediate government support, Lifeline's ability to deliver the critical service
New Zealand desperately needs is a serious concern end of quote.

(03:12):
So let's let's say, for example, the government did come
to Lifeline's rescue, how much would the taxpayer be up for?
How much would we be up for? Two million bucks
a year check and feed. That's the funding gap that
is forcing Lifeline to cut back on services and to
ditch its overnight services two million dollars. And this is

(03:34):
at the same time as the government, through Tourism New Zealand,
is spending six million dollars getting the Michelin staff people
to come over here to eat at our fancy restaurants
and see if they're worthy of being ranked up there
with the best restaurants in the world. If the government's
happy to spend that six million dollars on restaurant reviews

(03:54):
and isn't prepared to spend two million dollars on Lifeline
then in my mind, that would be nothing short of
moral bankruptcy. Part of the problem, of course, is New
Zealand and it's non negotiables because remember this said before
the last election that it would fund Mike King's gun
Boot Friday, which is why Winston was crowing after last

(04:16):
year's budget when Gumboot Friday was given twenty four million
dollars in funding, twenty four million which really must stick
in Lifeline's crawl when you consider the difference two million
would make to its service, let alone that the let
alone the difference it would make to the people who
need Lifeline service, especially the people who need it between

(04:37):
midnight and seven am, but whose calls and messages won't
be responded to. You've reached us out of ours. That
is the last thing Lifeline wants to be saying to people.
But unless the government does something, that's what's going to happen.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
For more from Category Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to news Talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays,
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