The Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand is educating rural health practitioners about suicide prevention.

Last year, the Rural health alliance hosted 50 workshops across regional communities advising them how to talk directly about suicide with people they love and care for.

Between April and June this year, the organisation ran 11 Safe Hands, Safe Plans workshops.

Rural health says 251 people participated including 127 nurses and 16 doctors across the nationwide.