Please note that this acknowledgement is an automatically generated email.

 
Thank you for contacting Hon Matt Doocey, Minister for Mental Health and
Associate Minister of Health.
 
Hon Matt Doocey considers all correspondence important and appreciates you
taking the time to write. As the Minister receives a large amount of
correspondence, it is not always possible to personally reply to all
emails.

* If your correspondence is diary related, requests will be processed
accordingly.
* If your correspondence requires a response, you can expect a response
in due course.
* If your correspondence relates to another Minister's portfolio, your
correspondence will be transferred to the appropriate Minister.
* If your correspondence expresses an opinion, it will be noted.
* If you have made a request for official information then this will be
managed in accordance with the provisions of the Official Information
Act 1982, which may include transfer to a more relevant Minister or
agency.
* If your request relates to media, it will be referred to the media
team.
* Latest information from the Beehive can be found here:
[1]https://www.beehive.govt.nz/
* If you are concerned about someone's wellbeing, you can call your
local mental health crisis team.   
* A full list of numbers is available here:
[2]https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/s...

 
Thank you for taking the time to write.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Office of Hon Matt Doocey
 
Minister for Mental Health 
Associate Minister of Health
Freepost: Private Bag 18 888 | Parliament Buildings | Wellington 6011 

References

Visible links
1. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.b...
2. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.h...

Dear HG

Thank you for your email of 31/3/2025 in which you submitted an Official Information Act request as follows:

“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, counsellors, 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."

Minister Doocey is considering your request in accordance with the Act, and you can expect a response by 1/5/2025.

Yours sincerely

Office of Hon Matt Doocey
Minister for Mental Health
Associate Minister of Health

DDI: 04 817 6812
Email: [Matt Doocey request email]   Website: www.Beehive.govt.nz
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

show quoted sections