Counselling service Lifeline Aotearoa is searching for a lifeline of its own after announcing it only has enough money to run for one more year. The Green Party said revelations Lifeline Aotearoa was guaranteed only another year of service was another blow to an already strained mental health system. Established in 1964, Lifeline provides several counselling and suicide prevention services including 24-hour help lines for people in crisis. Lifeline board chairman Ben Palmer said appeals for Government help were rejected and they are appealing to the public for help. "When a service that receives 15,000 calls from New Zealanders in distress and needing mental health assistance is threatened with closure, there are serious questions about the viability of the entire mental health system," he said.

Source: New Zealand Herald June 29, 2016 18:20 UTC