Interpreting “partnership” as a core value: Some implications of the Treaty of Waitangi for the NZAC Code of Ethics

Abstract

The New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) Code of Ethics sits within the context of the Treaty-centred politics of contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand. In the Introduction to the Code there are specific references to the Treaty, and the Core Values include “partnership.” This article explores and particularises specific meanings of partnership associated with the Treaty of Waitangi, drawing on the Royal Commission on Social Policy (1988). From this exploration it goes on to suggest that there are multiple sites where counsellors might respond to the Treaty partnership responsibilities that the Code invokes. In particular, the argument is made that responsibility to engage in partnership activities stretches beyond direct client practice into workplace, professional affiliation, and national political life.