He Wero Ano: Don't Just Tell Me, Show Me How Science and Psychology Are Racist in New Zealand

The psychology profession in New Zealand is undergoing a period of
transformation, driven by regulatory reforms. These changes are notably shaped
by highly selective opinions, many of which originate outside the profession
itself, rather than being rooted in empirical evidence. This approach stands in
direct contrast to the principles of the scientist-practitioner model, which has
long underpinned the training and practice of psychology in New Zealand. A
recent report by a research group who call themselves WERO (Working to End
Racism and Oppression) make broad claims, which they fail to substantiate,
that racism and oppression is a serious concern in psychology across all levels of
the discipline. The researchers claim that science itself is a social construct of
white Europeans, and that it is this association with perceived white power and
prestige alone that justifies the dominance of scientific ways of knowing in the
practice of psychology. This supposed truth is interpreted as an injustice against
what they see as Māori ways of knowing. The researchers go on to claim that in
order to irradicate racism and oppression in psychology, Māori ways of
knowing, should be given equal weight, to scientific ways of knowing in the
training and practice of psychologists in New Zealand. This article addresses
and critiques the claims presented in the WERO report, the evidence provided
in support of those claims, and the logical - or rather illogical - connections
established between the data and the researchers’ extreme recommendations for
change. Finally, it argues for the maintenance of the scientist-practitioner model
as a way of maintaining professional integrity and boundaries in psychology.