9 May 2025
H.G.
[FYI request #30578 email] Tēnā koe
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00084684 Thank you for your email received on 7 April 2025, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for
the following under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
“I would like to request information regarding your proposed associate/assistant
psychologist role. Please advise which external stakeholders you consulted with regarding the creation of this
role. Please explain what advice they provided, and how you have used that advice. Please explain whether there is any high quality robust evidence to: - show that the creation of this role will improve mental health outcomes in New Zealand - show that a one year postgrad programme will adequately prepare graduates to work in
clinical settings, with consideration for the fact that a Bachelor’s in psychology is a theory-
based degree with little to no abnormal psychology content and no clinical skills content - show that the creation of this role was the most effective way to improve mental health
outcomes in New Zealand. Please advise whether you considered utilising mental health nurses, occupational
therapists, counsel ors, and/or rongoā practitioners to provide extra FTE in the public health
system. Please explain why you have chosen to create this proposed role instead of
increasing funding and workforce places for the aforementioned providers. Please advise whether you considered improving work conditions, remuneration, and FTE
for staff already in the public mental health workforce in order to reduce staff attrition,
burnout, and overload. Please advise whether concerns have been raised regarding the safety and efficiency of
associate/assistant psychologists. Please explain what these concerns were, who raised
the concerns, and what your response to these concerns was. Please advise what, if anything, has been done to increase funding and places in the
existing training programmes for registered and clinical psychologists. Please also explain
why effort and funding have been funneled into the creation of this assistant/associate
psychologist role instead of into increasing the numbers of students in existing clinical and
registered psychologist programmes. With consideration for the cost of living and limitations on study link support, please advise
whether you considered increasing postgrad psychology students’ access to income
supports to allow them to focus on training. Additionally, I note that as per an Otago Daily Times article published 31/03/25 written by
clinical psychologist Helen Buckland-Wright, concerns have been raised regarding the
government’s communication with professional psychology organisations regarding this
proposed role: “Our professional organisations — NZPS, NZCCP and NZPB — have
undertaken some consultation with the profession. We were told that the name of the role
had yet to be confirmed, that work was still under way on defining the scope of practice,
and that further consultation with the profession would occur. We had no indication that this
role was in its final stages of development or to be announced. Yet the government has
now officially announced it, and the University of Canterbury is planning to begin training in
2026”. - this article indicates that NZPS, NZCCP and NZPB would have liked to be more involved
in the development and consideration of this proposed qualification. please explain why you
chose not to fully utilise the expertise and extensive knowledge (systemic and clinical) of
these professional bodies, especially as you are not a mental health professional yourself. - Please advise whether you provided NZPS, NZCCP and NZPB with ample opportunities
to provide feedback, advice, and guidance regarding the proposed role throughout the
creation and consultation process. Please detail these opportunities. - Please advise whether you actively attempted to contact NZPS, NZCCP and NZPB to
discuss the proposal prior to its release. If not, why not? - please provide a detailed record of the feedback you were provided by NZPS, NZCCP
and NZPB, and the responses you provided to them/their feedback”
Response
Your request for this information is refused under section 18(d) of the OIA as the information will
soon be publicly available. Please see the following link for this information, which we expect to be
released within the next two weeks:
tewhatuora.govt.nz/publications?start=0&publications-
type=Response+to+OIA+request.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address]. If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Danielle Coe
Manager (OIAs) – Government Services
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wellington 6140, New Zealand
