For long term followers of Northcote rugby, Saturday afternoon at North Harbour Stadium was one of the sweetest ever.  Twenty years after last winning the Premier Club Championship, Northcote emerged once again as club champions, defeating a spirited North Shore side that never gave up.

It really was the perfect afternoon for a final – unseasonably warm, even hot, with a firm surface underfoot.  The match itself was a cracker, with Northcote right from the start looking the winner, although North Shore gave them a serious fright 15 minutes from the end with a comeback surge of points.

What was really fantastic about the day was the depth of passion on the field and in the stands.  Both clubs have long proud histories and were well supported. Take nothing away from North Shore – a great club and great people.

But you could sense from early on it was Northcote’s day.  The stand was packed with people in maroon and gold in anticipation that after 20 years, and a few ups and downs over the past year or so, ‘Cote’s time had come again.

And so it was as Northcote triumphed 28-18.  I can’t remember ever seeing a team and its supporters so joyously thrilled to have won a championship.  It was fantastic stuff.

The Northcote Clubrooms were absolutely packed afterwards as the team led by their inspirational skipper Richard Mayhew arrived with the trophy and were cheered in.

Everyone was there – from the junior players still in their maroon and gold jerseys, to the faithful band of old-timers (I know I’ll get in trouble for that term!) who can be found at the back of the stand at Harvey Wright Field week after week, year after year.

Northcote have had a superb season and this is a very special team that blended some awesome individual talent with a great team ethic.  Richard Mayhew was absolutely crucial to success and a natural leader.  Mike Harris at first five is a guy who you always feel is in control of a game and can slot the crucial goals.  The side had a top management team and Ian Selwyn and Gary Whetton deserve the highest praise.

Yet there were others behind Saturday’s success.  Northcote has an extremely dedicated band of people keeping the club going at all levels.  As at every successful club, there have been thousands of hours of unpaid volunteer work over many years.  Northcote has a thriving junior rugby set up, which will hopefully produce future premier players.  Indeed, many of those Northcote premiers who won on Saturday came through the junior grades.

Premiership titles don’t come out of nowhere – when a team gets to the top, it reflects an outstanding club culture that is built at all levels over many years.  Northcote rugby has that culture and the rewards were reaped on Saturday.

So congratulations Northcote.  It was a great day that made a lot of people very happy. Go the ’Cote!

Posted by Jonathan in Media Releases at 16:31

It is both a pleasure and an honour to be here today to launch Phase Two of the National Depression Initiative.  As New Zealanders, one out of six of us will experience serious depression at some stage in our lives, and still more of us face less severe forms of depression, much of which is long-term.

 Depression is one of the leading causes of preventable illness and it carries a huge cost for both those who experience it, as well as their families and whānau.  The link between depression and suicide is well established.  This is why we have to work hard to minimise its harmful effects.

I am particularly excited to be launching The Journal, an innovative new online self management programme that is both user-friendly and evidence-based.  It brings together the considerable creative talents of many New Zealanders - internet designers, film-makers, writers, researchers, e-therapy experts, mental health professionals, and of course, a very famous and well-loved rugby player, John Kirwan. 

The result of 18 months of work, The Journal will be available free to any New Zealander with access to a computer, to help them through the difficulties that they are facing.

The National Depression Initiative is strongly linked to the Like Minds, Like Mine programme and as stigma and discrimination associated with mental health is reduced, more people step forward to seek help. 

John Kirwan was part of the Like Minds campaign before he put himself forward for the National Depression Initiative (NDI) campaign.  No doubt his involvement in Phase Two of the NDI will continue to encourage those that need help to access effective treatment. At the same time, he presents realistic options for self-management of mild to moderate depression.

We know from our research that New Zealanders continue to look to John Kirwan for guidance and inspiration in this area.  John will be the face and voice of both television ads and The Journal to coach New Zealanders through hard times in their lives.

JK has been groundbreaking in taking shame and stigma out of dealing with depression for many New Zealanders.  While he could not be here in person today, he must be recognised for giving New Zealanders, and particularly men, permission to talk about and get help for depression. 

I would like to take a moment to thank some of the other people who have devoted valuable time and expertise to Phase Two.

Psychiatrists Dr Simon Hatcher and Dr Lyndy Matthews, and psychologist Elliot Bell co-present The Journal with JK.  Their time in front of the camera and behind the development of the programme has been an invaluable contribution to making Phase Two work. Dr Hatcher in particular has lent his considerable expertise in Problem Solving Therapy to the content of The Journal.

The Journal is more than an online management programme.  Lifeline Aotearoa have developed and will provide optional personalised support to ensure the clinical safety of people who visit the Journal.

I would also like to thank all the 55 people who gave their time to take part in the research and pre-testing, and their GPs, who referred them.  Feedback from this research has been invaluable in refining the programme and improving its user-friendliness.

This Government is committed to being effective, and that means we need to test what we will spend our limited resources on.  The results from the pre-tests are showing that our investment is a wise one.

Many other people have given their support and expertise to make the next phase of the National Depression Initiative engaging and effective – and I thank them for their contribution. 

The National Depression Initiative has now reached its next phase with the launch of The Journal.

People can access it from www.depression.org.nz.  It’s been designed for people with mild to moderate depression, but is available to anyone and is completely free of charge.  The programme features tasks for physical activity, good nutrition, sleep, and problem-solving.  People using The Journal will receive reminder texts during the programme to help them through it.

International evidence tells us that not many people complete e-therapy programmes – usually around a third of people who start them actually finish and get the benefit.  That’s why we are providing technical and personalised support for the Journal, provided by a new team at Lifeline Aotearoa.  Practical help will be given to support people to continue with the programme or to seek further professional help if they need it. 

Three new television advertisements will go to air on 6 June 2010 featuring John Kirwan to promote self-help and make sure that everyone knows about The Journal.

The Government wants the work it does to be proven and effective.  Results from pre-testing phase two initiatives are promising.

The pre-test results of The Journal showed that only a quarter of the 55 people with depression involved in the pre-test decided not to complete the programme. 

People like the self-help approach.  They appreciate the chance to stay anonymous and the convenience of visiting The Journal by themselves and in their own time.

A total of 81 percent of pre-test participants felt that they were helped “a lot” or “somewhat” over the last few weeks of the programme – and this is the most challenging part.  The Journal was found to be “helpful” or “very helpful” by all those who completed it, and all of those people would recommend it to others.

These pre-test results bode well for The Journal. A robust 32-month evaluation will begin in November this year, so we can find out the long-term effectiveness of the programme.  I will be following the evaluation results with a great deal of interest.

Close

I have worked as a GP and know well the importance of reducing the stigma associated with mental illness, and encouraging people to seek help for mental health problems.

Early, appropriate intervention is needed if we are going to see the change we want to see happen.  Reaching people who are struggling early makes them less likely to need hospital treatment– it also helps them respond better to all forms of help available.

It’s vital that we take effective action to combat the damage that depression can have on our lives, and the lives of our friends and families.  Mental health is one of the key health concerns facing Governments, not just in New Zealand, but across the world. 

We have made a lot of progress in changing the unacceptable stigma that has been attached to depression and other mental illness and this work still continues.

 I am optimistic about the good work being done to ease the burden of depression.  I am proud to be able to launch to new Journal. Thank you.

Posted by Jonathan in Speeches at 14:46