There were eight recorded suicides in Wanganui over the past year, the second lowest in the past eight years.
The lowest was seven in 2012/13. In 2007/08 the number was also eight.
The Ministry of Justice released the data this week in Chief Coroner Judge Deborah Marshall's Annual Provisional Suicide Statistics.
New Zealand lost 564 people to suicide in the latest period, the highest number yet recorded, but only the third highest rate per 100,000 of the population.
In 2013/14 the number dropped to 529 and the lowest rate yet, of 11.73.
Judge Marshall said it was disappointing the drop in suicides had not continued.
"Yet again we are seeing a total suicide figure sitting in the mid-500 range," she said. "Our provisional suicide figures go back eight years and in that time there has been a variation of 35 suicide deaths.
"Over the last eight years I believe we've seen a shift in society's preparedness to have a more open conversation about suicide, but we are not seeing any movement in what is an unfortunate static annual figure."
Wanganui's highest number of suicides annually was 12, a number reached three times in the past eight years. In total, Wanganui has seen 80 suicides since 2007/08.
"I am in my first year as chief coroner and in that time I have been approached by many researchers and organisations that want to participate in changing our appalling rate of suicide," Judge Marshall said.
"Suicide prevention is not the job of any single agency or group but involves all New Zealanders. Greater co-ordination of efforts may be the key."
The figures also show male suicides reached their highest number yet and the third highest rate.
Female suicides have dropped to the second lowest number since 2007.
The age group that committed the most suicides was 20-24 year olds with 61 deaths, followed by 40-44 year olds with 58 deaths.
Male suicides made up 75.8 per cent of the total suicides for the year.
The Maori suicide total (130 deaths) and rate (21.74) are the highest since the statistics started being taken.