A Welcome Bay man is urgently seeking the removal of a series of tree branches overhanging into a nearby park after saving two people from taking their own lives in the last six months.

About 8pm last Friday, Ralph Sutton and four police officers came to the rescue of a man in his 20s.

Ralph Sutton wants to remove the tree branches at a Welcome Bay park to reduce the risk.

Ralph, who lives opposite a park, heard a dispute between the man and his partner before watching the man climbing onto the tree.

'I was standing with the cops about 10 metres from the guy when he jumped, three cops grabbed him from below and one up the top,” says the 42-year-old.

They managed to revive him before he was taken away by ambulance.

'The first one [incident] was worse and it took the ambulance guys ages to revive him.”

Ralph has been living in the street for the last four years and although these attempts have only just begun, he says two in six months is sending alarm bells.

Just last week Ralph went to cut down one of the branches from the tree only to be told by a neighbour that if he goes ahead with it, Tauranga City Council could impose a fine or prosecute.

But Tauranga City Council communications advisor Marcel Currin says the tree is not on public land and is part of a private residence bordering the park.

A council member, who lives in the area, is now going to speak to the residents at the address this weekend and see what can be done.

'It seems that they're [the residents] unaware of the situation,” says Marcel.

'Either way it's a community issue, which is being appropriately dealt with at a community level.”

Ralph believes urgent action is needed and is hoping the tree branches will be removed by the weekend.

'Things happen in three's and the third could be a death. It's not a nice thing for young people to see.

'I just want to cut the branches down, not the whole tree. The branches are coming down; permission, or no permission.”

Bay Counselling and Therapy Service counsellor Rachel Hamilton sees a 'steady stream” of people coming to the private practice looking for help from depression and anxiety issues.

She advises people need to be aware there are plenty of assistance options available to them and many services that can provide help.

Each person deals with depression at different speeds, but Rachel says even just making a phone call to organise getting help can break the cycle showing there is hope out there.

'There are all sorts of reasons behind depression and anxiety, so it is getting underneath that. Lots of addiction has anxiety and depression flowing through it, as well as just general life stresses,” says Rachel.

'It is just about connecting with someone and having someone normalise the feelings and being real and talking about the risks of suicide.”

Those needing help for depression or mental health issues can contact Bay Counselling & Therapy Service 07 578 0959.

There are also a number of other services available for anyone who needs help, including Tauranga Hospital's Mental Health Services on 579 8329. A full list of services are available here or people can visit depression.org here.