20 Feb 2026 

ANZASW is concerned about recent commentary that misrepresents social work education in Aotearoa New Zealand and makes factually incorrect assumptions. 

Furthermore, we’re concerned that commentary has been made in isolation from the social work sector, limiting any chance of a balanced and informed discussion before passing judgment.  

Whilst we acknowledge the discomfort experienced by some students who are asked to reflect upon their own value basis in relation to these issues as part of social work education, we also stand by the importance of these topics for safe and effective social work practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Social work is a profession founded on principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversity. Within the Aotearoa New Zealand practice context, these principles extend to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and decolonisation. These expectations are reflected in the Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) Education Standards and Core Competence Standards, which all qualifying programmes must meet. 

To not critically engage social work students in these issues would be a failure to teach the theoretical and practice-based foundations of the profession, meaning graduates would not meet SWRB standards for registration. 

Where we do agree with comments made is the importance of critical thinking and robust reflective kōrero within the tertiary education setting. This is exactly what social work education sets out to achieve, not ‘what to think’ but how to engage with these issues whilst critically reflecting on the above-mentioned principles. 

Te Tiriti o Waitangi, decolonisation and climate change may be categorised as ‘theoretical ideology’ for some, but in social work, we work with the real-life impacts of these issues for whānau and communities every day. 

68% of children in care are Māori, a direct consequence of colonisation and racist child protection policies that were enforced by social workers throughout the 20th century and beyond. The Abuse in Care Inquiry starkly canvassed our practice failings in this area and the impacts of colonisation and racism in this area and is evidence as to why teaching social work students about Te Tiriti o Waitangi and decolonisation is absolutely critical to safe and effective practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

As recently as the past week, severe storms brought flooding, power cuts, road closures and evacuations across multiple regions. This follows a year in which weather events have claimed lives. The loss, grief and hardship experienced by whānau in the wake of these tragedies are often addressed by social workers.  

Our whenua and our people are not separate entities to be managed; we are interdependent, and so understanding how climate change impacts communities and critically engaging with responses to increase the resilience of communities and whānau most at risk is increasingly relevant to all social workers. These issues may seem ideologically driven when written as a course title on a programme structure information sheet. But the reality is, teaching social workers how these issues have and continue to create inequities and offering practice approaches to enable change for disadvantaged whānau is critical to the integrity of the social work profession. 

We will not apologise for upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our social justice principles. As a profession, we take to heart the responsibility of ensuring students coming into social work are expertly prepared for practising in an environment where these issues are core to the challenges faced by the vast majority of those we work with. 

 For further information or media enquiries, please contact: members@anzasw.nz