The country's most well-known suicide prevention hotline says it's missing a quarter of its calls due to a funding shortage.
In response, Lifeline has launched its biggest fundraising campaign ever - and it's based the idea on a group of artists that died young.
It's a Kiwi take on a spate of global superstars who died far too young - but it is a call to arms for New Zealanders to live to 72 and beyond.
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Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and even Amy Winehouse aren't just famous musicians - they're also members of the notorious '27 Club'. That's the name coined for musicians who died at the age of just 27.
But Lifeline is reclaiming the 27 Club, and flipping it on its head to create what it's calling the 72 Club.
Chief executive Glenda Schnell says it's fundraising because the suicide prevention hotline is so swamped with calls that it's missing one in four.
"We never know when we might be having somebody who is in critical need who then doesn't call back," she explained.
"That's why it's so critical for us to support people when they need it, at the time that they need it."
New Zealand suicide statistics recently hit a new high, with provisional figures showing 606 Kiwis took their lives in the past year. Lifeline says it is seeing that on the ground, and it's receiving more calls from suicidal people than ever before.
Lifeline says it receives an average of six such calls a day, and those calls take time.
Janis Joplin's family is behind the campaign, saying Lifeline won't have to pay any royalties for using her classic rock anthem.
Where to find help and support:
- Need to Talk? - Call or text 1737
- Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland
- Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
- Samaritans - 0800 726 666
- Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
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