Summarised by Centrist
The Free Speech Union is asking the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists to explain why a peer-reviewed paper by Māori clinical psychologist Dr Kirsten Ratana was removed from the College’s journal.
The paper was submitted in 2024, peer reviewed and published in the Journal of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists in 2025.
According to the Free Speech Union, the article was not removed because of error, fraud or misconduct, which are the usual grounds for retracting scholarly work.
Instead, the College’s governing Council reportedly decided that keeping the article available was inconsistent with its values and could harm Māori.
FSU Stakeholder Relationships Manager Stephanie Martin said the decision raised serious concerns about academic freedom and editorial independence.
“A scholarly journal is meant to be a place where ideas are tested, not a channel for value signalling,” Martin said.
“There is a long-standing difference between disagreeing with a published paper and removing it. Disagreement is answered with rebuttals, responses and debate. Removal tells every clinician reading the journal that some questions, and topics, are now closed to discussion.”
Martin also questioned the implication that removing a Māori author’s work was necessary to protect Māori.
“A profession committed to genuine partnership should be able to tolerate disagreement among Māori scholars, rather than treat a single position as a unanimous Māori view,” she said.
“When a published Māori author is removed from the record to protect Māori, it is fair to ask whose voices are being amplified and whose are being excluded.”
The Free Speech Union says the case appears to be without precedent in New Zealand.
“Ironically, this demonstrates the very issues with regulatory overreach that the article itself sought to highlight,” Martin said.
