Four Kaitaia youth have been made ambassadors of a re-established youth suicide prevention group which has been "a long time waiting".
The Ngati Hine Health Trust have pulled together two members from their Kaitaia youth services team to co-ordinate the recently re-established Muriwhenua RAID - a Far North branch of a youth suicide prevention group originally established in Whangarei.
A Kaitaia branch of the group had existed, however the scheme, run under another group, dissolved after a lapse in funding.
Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, general manager of the NHHT, said there were always plans to re-establish a Far North branch of RAID, but after a series of suspected suicides in Kaitaia it needed to be fast-tracked.
Now four Kaitaia youth have been made ambassadors of the Muriwhenua group.