Psychology Board NZ Looks To Embrace Forward Thinking And Support Cultural Competence For A Brighter Future

The NZ Psychologists Board's primary concern is consumer protection in the field of psychology, ensuring that clients receive safe, competent, and ethical psychological services.

NZPB licenses individual psychologists, ensuring they meet specific educational and competency requirements before they can practice legally in Aotearoa. They ensure that Psychologists meet the necessary standards to provide safe and effective psychological care. Upstream from this is accrediting the tertiary programmes that deliver training to equip students to be competent to the standards.

Recently they undertook a nationwide series of meetings in various communities. In listening to feedback and perspectives shared during these hui, they are considering whether to look to re-evaluate the approach to welcoming overseas-trained psychologists into our community. They heard from numerous attendees that fostering competent psychology practice while ensuring access to qualified professionals is crucial, especially in the face of the current psychologist shortage.

NZPB is encouraging the professional bodies to take proactive steps to support their professionals on their cultural competence journey. NZPB will look to develop a toolkit of resources and are exploring partnerships with professional associations to enhance access to cultural competence training opportunities within the profession. Psychologists are encouraged to prioritize culturally safe practice and seek resources and information to assist in this endeavour.

NZPB value the engagement and feedback of the community of professionals and looks forward to connecting more in the future.

‘We appreciate the insights shared during our roadshow meetings and will take the time to consider where the feedback can be thoughtfully applied.' says Registrar Vanessa Simpson. ‘We are dedicated to having a workforce of registered practitioners that can work across the evolving landscape of communities in Aotearoa.’

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