An expert has warned that as many as 33 people are committing suicide each week.

On a notepad next to her bed, she had written a suicide note.

That is where her mother found her – a 26-year-old Wellington artist, loved by her family and all who knew her.

Her father is speaking out this weekend after a coroner ruled there was not enough evidence to prove "whether she was then mentally capable of forming an intention to take her life", despite hearing the details of the events leading up to her death and the suicide note.

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"It begs the question whether the numbers are real," said.

"The statistics need to be right so that the right amount of funds are allocated to the mental health sector."

From June 2014 to May 2015, 569 people are officially listed as having died by suicide or suspected suicide – the highest number ever recorded in New Zealand.

Officially, at least 11 people a week die by suicide. But Timaru-based GP Dr Oliver Bourke warned that the true number could be three times higher. "I honestly think people have no idea how many people die by suicide," he said. "These figures are awful."

If a coroner is not satisfied that a death can be ruled a suicide, then it is classified under a different category, such as otherwise self-inflicted, an accident, or the cause is simply declared undetermined.

The Coroner who investigated the Wellington woman's death found she had taken her own life, but he could not rule on intent. "If they don't want to call it a suicide, it's got to be classified as self-inflicted," the woman's father said.

"The way I look at it is, to the common person on the street, which is was I was before this, to actually realise that number is wildly different caught me by surprise. If people knew that they'd see it as a bigger issue than we ever imaged."

The man said he was "yet to hear a story where the person is in their right mind before taking their own life".

Former Chief Coroner Neil MacLean said the number of recorded suicides in New Zealand should be taken "with a large grain of salt".

"Some people could fall through the gaps because just relying on raw suicide numbers isn't giving us the true number," he said.

Judge MacLean said each case was judged on whether the evidence proved the person deliberately intended to take their life.

"That would include making a determination that it wasn't just an accident or indulging in risky behaviour without thinking of the consequences," he said.

"The coroner has to be sure they had the mental capacity to take their own life. That has to be established at a pretty high level, you have to be sure. If there is any reasonably plausible alternative that suggests that they didn't have that intent then the coroner shouldn't make that finding.

Asked whether the open rulings could mask the true rate, MacLean said he would "like to think not" as the 16 coroners and the chief coroner were "full time professionals, well-trained in psychological and psychiatric aspects of suicide. They really study this in great detail.

Dr Bourke said because the threshold ruling a death was a suicide was so high, the real number was far off the reported number.

"When you get clear-cut cases, there would be at least as many again that a coroner couldn't give a ruling on because there is a slight doubt. Those sort of deaths aren't counted as suicide, it's scary."

But the Mental Health Foundation said Dr Bourke's suggestion the figure could be closer to 1500 deaths caused unnecessary alarm and distress to the public. "It is grossly irresponsible and patently wrong to claim that there are 33 deaths by suicide in New Zealand per week," Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson said.

He conceded there was a "small under-counting" but said over-stating the suicide figures would created a false impression of a worsening crisis.

Meanwhile, the father of the Wellington artist said that not revealing the true statistics prevented people from getting the help they needed from mental health services. "I felt they were stretched and I also felt they were lacking the ability to bring the work that was needed to be done."

During the coroner's hearing into his daughter's death, the man said the family discovered she had called Lifeline for support on the day she died. But the family had not been told she had contemplated taking her own life.

"We weren't made aware of that call. They regarded it as non-urgent. I would have said that anyone calling that line was straight away a red flag. You don't call the line because you're relaxed, it's because you're contemplating taking your life. We only found out after the whole event occurred."

He said that education and privacy should extend to family and friends.

"When we found out the call was made on the Sunday, we thought she must have taken her life then. But we couldn't contact her because her mobile was turned off. She was isolating herself. If we'd known we would have gone round there," he said.

Instead, after not hearing from her for two days his wife drove to where their daughter was staying and found her lying dead on her bed.

"It sounds like there is a hell of a lot of pressure on mental health services," he said.

"But make family a part of the solution."

* Comment from the Mental Health Foundation has been added to this story.

WHERE TO GET HELP

Lifeline (open 24/7) - 0800 543 354

Depression Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 111 757

Healthline (open 24/7) - 0800 611 116

Samaritans (open 24/7) - 0800 726 666

Suicide Crisis Helpline (open 24/7) - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.

Youthline (open 24/7) - 0800 376 633. You can also text 234 for free between 8am and midnight, or email talk@youthline.co.nz

0800 WHATSUP children's helpline - phone 0800 9428 787 between 1pm and 10pm on weekdays and from 3pm to 10pm on weekends. Online chat is available from 7pm to 10pm every day at www.whatsup.co.nz.

Kidsline (open 24/7) - 0800 543 754. This service is for children aged 5 to 18. Those who ring between 4pm and 9pm on weekdays will speak to a Kidsline buddy. These are specially trained teenage telephone counsellors.

Your local Rural Support Trust - 0800 787 254 (0800 RURAL HELP)

Alcohol Drug Helpline (open 24/7) - 0800 787 797. You can also text 8691 for free.

For further information, contact the Mental Health Foundation's free Resource and Information Service (09 623 4812).

* This article has been amended to clearly distinguish between self-inflicted deaths and suicides.