In an emotional interview with Q+A's Jack Tame this morning, Labour MP Louisa Wall opened up about the death of her Youth MP four years ago.
Teenager Chloe Destrieux and her mother died in November 2017, in a tragic incident that left Wall feeling “incredibly traumatised” by the ordeal.
"My Youth MP, young Chloe, in November 2017 died by suicide," she said.
"I felt incredibly traumatised by that process.
"I took responsibility as an adult in her life for providing mentoring and support and I did wonder whether there was a bit too much pressure on her."
The Manurewa MP regarded Destrieux as a high achiever, adding she wished she could have done more to support her.
"In addition to being head girl at her school and she went on to get scholarship, she was at university and she was the chair of the Manurewa youth council."
Wall is a member of a cross-party mental health group that presented a report on suicide earlier in the week.
She made headlines after being denied by her party to take up one of the spots allotted to Labour to debate the report, instead offered to replace National’s Shane Reti .
"We are doing everything that we can as a country, based on international research, to be able to meet the needs of Chloe and others," she said.
"I wanted to speak because I think it's really important that Parliament should be able to come together and suicide shouldn't be a political football."
Wall argued it's important for young people to witness politicians from across Parliament come together on serious issues such as suicide.
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