Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at IIT

Ethics Committee of the ASAA/NZ:

The Executive acts as the Ethics Committee of the Association.

Procedure for Ethical Review Research Proposals:

The following general procedure was established at the 1991 AGM of the Association, and is viewed as an interim procedure which may be further worked out in practice and revised in light of experience. Its purpose is to provide members with peer guidance, in some cases to fulfil requirements that research proposals be submitted to an ethics review process, and to provide some protection against pressures that undermine ethical practice.

There are two variants of the procedure, as outlined in the Minutes of AGMs and in Newsletters:

Procedure 1:
Involves the researcher discussing the ethical considerations of their research proposal with two ASAA/NZ members who read and write individual opinions on it, then the proposal and letters are lodged with the Ethics Committee.

Procedure 2:
Involves the researcher discussing the ethical considerations of their research proposal with two ASAA/NZ members and writing a joint statement, signed by all parties. The proposal and statement are then lodged with the Ethics Committee.

Only if the peer reviewers detect problems or there are unresolved ethical issues, does the Ethics Committee review the proposal and provide further feedback and discussion. However, should researchers feel it necessary or helpful, they are free to ask the Ethics Committee for further feedback on particular ethical aspects of their research.

If external agencies require certification of ethical review or approval as a prerequisite for funding, permission to conduct research, or screening by their own ethics committees, the ASAA/NZ Ethics Committee will write a letter to the agency outlining the ethics review procedure and reporting on the proposal.

Other Notes:

Members of the Association (and HOD's of all New Zealand/Aotearoa Anthropology departments) should let new graduate students know of the existance of the ASAA/NZ Ethics Code and Ethics Review Procedure so that they are aware that they can use these facilities.

Where members meet with ethically difficult situations, it is suggested that they consider writing a description of them and an account of their ethical decision-making for publication in the ASAA/NZ Newsletter. This will allow for discussion and eventually constitute a file of ethics models.

A number of projects have now employed the ethics review procedure, including proposals destined for the HRC, the (former) Wellington Area Health Board, and FORST. There has been some discussion of the procedures as applied in these cases, and they were regarded as generally helpful and worth continuing.