We are all human beings. That should be an uncontroversial starting point for a profession devoted to understanding the human mind.
Yet the New Zealand Psychological Society and the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists have issued an apology to Māori that makes sweeping claims about racism, colonisation and the supposed failings of “western” psychology.
They claim New Zealand was built on genocide. They claim that hard-working psychologists have been acting with racist views over the years. They claim that, effectively, colonisation is at the heart of just about every psychological problem.
And of course, the absurd claim that every culture had its own form of psychology and therefore ‘Western’ psychology is an imposition, and not something that has been developed and shared across the world to the benefit of so many.
Of course, a person’s culture, upbringing and experiences matter. A good psychologist should understand those things. But whether an approach works should depend on evidence, not the ancestry of the person who developed it.
Dividing psychology into Western, Māori, Asian and other categories risks losing sight of the individual seeking help. Every patient deserves effective care, with the same standards of evidence and professional competence.
Also, psychology is psychology. While it is applied to humans from all lands and cultures, there is no ‘Western’ psychology any more than there is Māori psychology.
This constant attempt to divide professions according to race, and in some instances imply that every culture has all the same knowledge and insights, is wrong.
If you believe our shared humanity should come first, help us make that case.
Then there is the apology’s treatment of “settler colonialism”, which its glossary defines as “a system of oppression based on genocide and colonialism”. The document explicitly describes oppression as ongoing.
Settler colonialism is the latest fashionable phrase to try and delegitimise countries like New Zealand – our heritage and democratic institutions.
Genocide is an extraordinarily serious claim. It should not be casually folded into a professional apology as an accepted description of New Zealand.
Claims like these should not pass unchallenged. Your support helps us bring them to public attention and speak up for common sense.
I note that some psychologists have spoken up and challenged this narrative. Dr Arna Mitchell, a Māori psychologist, wrote a paper in response to claims of racism. For challenging the narrative, her research and writing were removed by the very same people pushing the current apology.
And this is about more than words.
My concern is that this lays the groundwork for parallel structures and another layer of administration, advisory roles and consultation costs. Every dollar committed should be justified by the benefit it delivers to patients.
Patients deserve better care, not more bureaucracy. Help us challenge proposals that divide public services by ancestry. Donate today.
Where people have been mistreated, acknowledge it and put it right. Where treatment falls short, improve it. But sweeping declarations of collective guilt are no substitute for better care.
We should start with what we share: our humanity, and our right to competent, compassionate treatment.
That is where the profession should put its energy.
