Media Releases

Media Release: Why you should see a psychologist next week
7 November 2017
New Zealanders are being invited to see psychologists at a series of free local events throughout the country during Psychology Week (November 13-19).  “The public’s perception is often that psychologists only deal with people who are mentally ill, but we would really like them to know more about how psychologists help children, young people, adults and communities to live their lives well. We also want to offer tips for mental wellbeing,” explains The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) president, Quentin Abraham.

Media Release:Psychologist shortages unsustainable and unfair
30 October 2017
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) endorses the Association of Professional and Executive Employees (Apex) concern in the media today that the shortage of psychologists in mental health services is both unsustainable and unfair on patients.

Media Release: Psychologists concerned about Defence Industry Forum in Wellington
3 October 2017
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) is concerned that the Defence Industry and National Security Forum is to take place in Wellington this month.  This event sponsored by Lockheed Martin, currently the world’s largest arms manufacturer, focuses on the buying, selling and marketing of war weapons.

Media Release: UNICEF Report Indicates We Need to do Better for our Children and Young People
15 June 2017
New Zealand is a relatively rich country as measured by income per capita. You would think this would be a place where children and young people are flourishing. For many this is not the case.

Media Release: Inquiry into the Ministry of Social Development’s Collection of Individual Client-Level Data from NGO’s
6 April, 2017
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) welcomes the Privacy Commissioner’s report on the “Inquiry into the Ministry of Social Development’s collection of individual client-level data from NGOs.”

Media Release: Psychology Week, 21-27 November 2016
Psychology week is an opportunity for New Zealanders to think about their own and their community’s psychological health and well-being. “In our busy lives it is all too easy to neglect our own wellbeing as we get caught up in just getting through the demands of each day,” said Quentin Abraham President of the New Zealand Psychological Society. Read more.

Letter to the Editor, Dominion Post regarding Seclusion in Education 18 October, 2016.

Media Release: Cutbacks to mental health services in Canterbury
29 February 2016
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) is deeply concerned about planned cutbacks to mental health services in Canterbury.

Media Release: Psychology Week 9-15 November 2015 – A first in Aotearoa
4 November 2015
Psychology week is an opportunity for New Zealanders to think about their own and their community’s psychological health and well-being.
“In our busy lives it is all too easy to neglect our own well-being as we get caught up in just getting through the demands of each day,” said Dr Kerry Gibson, President of the New Zealand Psychological Society.

Media Release: Funding for Cancer Support
12 October 2015
The New Zealand Psychological Society has released a media statement related to the Government’s announcement that it will provide funding for improved psychological and social support for people who have had a diagnosis of cancer.

Media Release: The Refugee Crisis
4 September 2015
“Psychologists cannot remain silent on the refugee crisis.  To ignore this issue is in breach of our ethical principles that demand that we address and challenge social injustice in our broader society,” said Dr Kerry Gibson, President of the New Zealand Psychological Society.

Media Release: Opinion Piece on Social Bonds for Mental Health Services
June 2015
Investing in Futures- Who will benefit?

Media Release: Prestigious Awards in Psychology
10 September 2014
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) -the largest membership association for psychologists in New Zealand, offers awards for excellence in practice and research related to psychology and social justice issues.

Media Release: Climate Change
8 September 2014
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) passed a remit at its AGM to promote the use of psychology to help government and non-government agencies to tackle climate change.

Media Release: The Wellbeing of Children
23 June 2014
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) commends the “Tick for Kids” campaign. This campaign asks us all to uphold our responsibility to support and enhance the health and wellbeing of our children and their communities.

Media Release:  Government Proposal for Education needs to be based on Evidence
13 March 2014
The NZPsS has released a media statement related to the Government’s announcement that it will provide funding to schools to raise educational achievement. The Society notes in this release that whilst it is excellent to see additional funding directed at students educational achievement, this funding needs to be focused on initiatives that are based on evidence.

Media Release:  NZPsS & NZCCP Combined comment on the Cost of Therapy
8 August 2013
Psychological Therapy Works But Who Is Willing To Pay? Recent newspaper articles have reported that several purchasers of mental health services have made decisions that effectively restrict the availability of psychological therapy. There is some suggestion that these decisions are driven by the apparent cost advantage offered by drug treatment, particularly for problems such as depression.

Media Release:  NZPsS & NZCCP Combined Conference 2012
11 April 2012
The New Zealand Psychological Society/New Zealand College of Clinical Psychology Joint Annual Conference will take place on 20-23 April 2012 at the Wellington Convention Centre, Wellington

Media Release:  Earthquake Special – NZ Journal of Psychology
16 February 2012
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) has released a Special Issue of the New Zealand Journal of Psychology that presents sound research and a range of professional experiences related to the changing condition of the population of Canterbury in the aftermath of the last 10,000 shakes and 500 days.

Media Release:  Prestigious Awards in Psychology
1 September 2011
Three prestigious awards were conferred on this year’s recipients at the New Zealand Psychological Society Conference held in Queenstown 20-23 August.

Media Release:  New Zealand Psychological Society Annual Conference 2011
15 August 2011
The New Zealand Psychological Society, (NZPsS) is holding its annual conference at the Rydges Lakeside Resort in Queenstown. The Society is the largest professional association for psychologists in New Zealand with over 1000 members and subscribers.

Media Release: Integrated services for adolescents urgently needed to reduce social and psychological morbidity
2 June 2011
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) welcomes Sir Peter Gluckman’s report to the Prime Minister which makes recommendations on reducing social and psychological morbidity during adolescence.

Media Release in relation to the Christchurch Earthquake
25 February 2011
The New Zealand Psychological Society would like to send a message of support to the Christchurch community who are in the midst of a major disaster.

A Message of Support to the Community Affected by the Explosion in the Pike River Mine
24 November 2010
The New Zealand Psychological Society would like to send a message of support to the community affected by the explosion in the Pike River mine. The distress of the friends and families of the missing miners touches all of us. Traumatic events such as this understandably produce high levels of psychological distress amongst the families and workmates of the miners.

NZPsS Supports Findings of the Independent Review Panel – ACC
10 September 2010
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) is pleased that the independent panel set up to review the clinical pathway implemented by ACC for the management of sensitive claims has clearly identified issues which must be addressed. The NZPsS, along with many other agencies identified a number of serious concerns which we considered impacted on sexual abuse survivors and the ability of psychologists and other practitioners to provide appropriate services. Until the independent review validated these concerns many lay unaddressed.

Canterbury Earthquake Media Release – Psychosocial Support
9 September 2010
Major earthquakes have a profound impact on people involved, either because they or their loved ones have been directly affected by the loss or damage to property and services or because they have witnessed the injuries or narrowly escaped injury caused by the earthquakes.

Prestigious Awards in Psychology 2010
26 July 2010
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) -the premier membership association for psychologists in New Zealand, offers awards for excellence in practice and research related to psychology and social justice issues. Three prestigious awards were conferred on this year’s recipients at the New Zealand Psychological Society Conference held in Rotorua18-20 July.

New Zealand Psychological Society and NZ College of Clinical Psychologists release regarding ACC Sexual Abuse Claims
28 October 2009
Responding to criticisms of the new ACC process for dealing with sexual abuse claims, the Minister for ACC Dr Nick Smith is reported in the media today as saying that there are “professional disagreements between psychologists and psychotherapists and counsellors about the changes to the management of sensitive claims”.

New Zealand Psychological Society Supports Evidence-Based Approach to Mental Health Awareness Week
5 October 2009
The New Zealand Psychological Society believes that the Mental Health Foundation’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week “winning ways to wellbeing” sends a very important message.

Prestigious Awards in Psychology
2 September 2009
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) -the premier membership association for psychologists in New Zealand), offers awards for excellence in practice and research related to psychology and social justice issues. Three prestigious awards have been conferred on this year’s recipients at the New Zealand Psychological Society Conference held in Palmerston North 27-30 August.

Green MP Sue Bradford and Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman receive prestigious award from the New Zealand Psychological Society
21 August 2009
The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS)-the premier membership association for psychologists in New Zealand, has honoured the work of Member of Parliament Sue Bradford and Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman from the University of Otago, Wellington School of Medicine by awarding them the Society’s prestigious Public Interest Award.

The New Zealand Psychological Society Annual Conference 2009
The New Zealand Psychological Society the largest professional association for psychologists in New Zealand with over 1000 members and subscribers is holding its annual conference at the Convention Centre Palmerston North.
13 July 2009
The New Zealand Psychological Society is very concerned that mental health appears to have fallen off the Government’s health agenda. The six new health targets which came into effect from 1 July make no mention of mental health.

Youth crime needs a qualified workforce and an evidence-based approach
4 March 2009
The New Zealand Psychological Society is concerned that the Government is planning a sentencing option of sending youth offenders to military-style boot camps. The Society calls on the Government to view youth crime through a broader lens and support evidence-based approaches which encompass prevention, rehabilitation and restorative justice.

Health workforce shortage policy does not go far enough
25 February 2009
The New Zealand Psychological Society congratulates the Minister of Health in taking the initiative to address workforce shortages in medicine, nursing and midwifery.

Prestigious awards in psychology
1 September, 2008The New Zealand Psychological Society (the premier membership association for psychologists in New Zealand), offers awards for excellence in practice and research in psychology.
Three prestigious awards have been conferred on this year’s recipients at the New Zealand Psychological Society Conference held in Christchurch 29-31 August.

New Zealand Psychological Society Annual Conference
27 August, 2008
The New Zealand Psychological Society the largest professional association for psychologists in New Zealand with over 900 members is holding its annual conference at the Hotel Grand Chancellor 161 Cashel Street, Christchurch.  The Conference begins at 9.am Friday 29 August with a Mihi Whakatau and ends at lunchtime on Sunday 31 August. The theme of the conference is Wellbeing: Individual, Organisational, Community and over 250 delegates are expected to attend.

Psychologists Support Access to Non-Drug Therapies for Depression
29 February, 2008
The New Zealand Psychological Society welcomes the announcement that psychological therapies will be available free through primary health care organisations (PHOs) as announced by the Ministry of Health on Thursday.