A New Zealand journal deleted a paper for potential harm to Māori months after publishing it

Arna Mitchell, a clinical psychologist of Māori descent, published an article in the Journal of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists (JNZCCP) in August 2025, critiquing proposed different standards of practice for Māori and non-Māori clients. The article, labeled as a viewpoint, challenged the prevailing narrative in psychology institutions and was politically and ideologically inconvenient for some professional leaders.

Despite open discussions with editors about the controversy, the JNZCCP deleted the article ten months later, citing potential harm to Māori and conflict with the college's values. The decision led to several members quitting the college and criticism from the field, including a former editor who defended Mitchell's right to express her opinions.

Mitchell argued that her critique did not oppose culturally responsive practice but questioned whether an approach simply because it was culturally derived was necessarily better for Māori, emphasizing the need for evidence to establish an intervention's effectiveness. The journal defended its decision, asserting it was not an independent academic journal.

However, Mitchell maintained that her viewpoints were not racist and that she was entitled to her perspective, despite the ad hominem attacks and mischaracterizations of her arguments. The JNZCCP later issued a correction addressing the definitions and facts of the report she criticized, citing adherence to COPE guidelines, but Mitchell sensed further actions were still being taken in the background.