Jacinda Ardern revealed that as a 13-year-old in Morrinsville, her best friend's brother took his own life.

An emotional Jacinda Ardern has spoken about her grief at losing a childhood friend to suicide.

Speaking to Labour's election year congress, Ardern put youth mental health on the political agenda, with a promise to place a nurse into every public secondary school. Schools will also get the support of a GP.

Labelling youth suicide a "disease", Ardern said evidence showed schools where students had access to a health professionals who were on site as part of a team had better mental health outcomes.

"Evidence around existing services shows where students had more time with on-site professionals there was significantly less depression and suicide risk. Depression and suicide risk were up to two thirds lower in schools with comprehensive health services. Early intervention works."

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Ardern revealed that as a 13-year-old in Morrinsville, her best friend's brother took his own life.

"I had just started high school and was waiting for class to start when I heard the news, I can remember exactly where I was standing, just outside the science block.

"I went straight to my friend's home and spent the next few days with her as her and her family went through the unimaginable grief of losing their only boy, grief that was felt by everyone that knew him, and was captured in the handwritten notes and messages from his classmates that hung around the walls at his funeral. Every single thing about it seemed unfair and still does to this day."

Youth suicide rates were a pointer to how hard it was for young people growing up n New Zealand.

'It's hard to remember a time when the number of young people taking their own lives wasn't staggering, but it hasn't always been as bad as it is now. In the 1980s for instance, the jump for young males in particular was horrific, going from 58 to more than 100 in just eight years."

Ardern said school based health services were introduced by Labour in 2008 but were currently only funded directly for nurses in decile 1-3 public secondary schools, teen parent units and alternative education facilities."

Under Saturday's announcement, the average secondary school would have a full time nurse and also the support of a GP.

The cost would be around $40 million a year, funded out of Labour's commitment to reverse National's $1.7 billion of health cuts.

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