Barry Taylor is holding a series of workshops for service providers in Otago this month. He will be in Dunedin on November 14, Queenstown on November 15, Alexandra on November 16 and Balclutha on November 23.
Mr Taylor, who lives in Paekakariki, said he had been working overseas in various countries for the past 25 years but returned to his native New Zealand at the start of this year ''with a strong desire to give back to New Zealand my extensive knowledge and work in suicide prevention''.
He said reports of high-profile men experiencing depression or having died by suicide were ''sadly becoming regular news'', but represented ''only a small number of men who live daily with depression or have thoughts of killing themselves.
''Across most ethnic and age groupings men are over-represented in measures of poor mental health, including suicide and depression. This is a serious challenge, not only for the men but for their whanau, hapu, iwi, workplaces and communities''.
Mr Taylor's Otago workshops are part of a national tour he is organising.
He said he had a strong commitment to providing training to smaller communities as well as in cities.
A more concerted focus on suicide prevention and the overrepresentation of men killing themselves was needed, Mr Taylor said.
''Suicide in young people captures communities' concern, but if we are serious about reducing the rates of suicide in this country, we must focus our efforts and resources towards the groups that are killing themselves the most and that is middle-aged and older men.
''Many local suicide prevention action plans, while often identifying men as an at-risk population, do not focus on the key risk and protective factors for men, therefore limiting opportunities for engagement and effective prevention and intervention initiatives that are based on sound evidence and the science of suicide.''
Need help?
Healthline: 0800 611-116
Lifeline Aotearoa: 0800 543-354
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828-865
Samaritans: 0800 726-666
Alcohol Drug Helpline: 0800 787-797
General mental health: 0800 443-366
Depression Helpline: 0800 111-757
