About

The Rationale for having Human Ethics Committees

The University of Canterbury aims to promote excellent and ethical research.

A working party was set up by the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Canterbury in 1992, and this committee recommended that a Human Ethics Committee (HEC) should be established. The Educational Research Human Ethics Committee (ERHEC) was established in 2007 following the merger of the Christchurch College of Education with the University of Canterbury. Prior to this the Christchurch College of Education Ethical Clearance Committee fulfilled this role. The Human Ethics Committees are responsible to the Vice-Chancellor to ensure that researchers whose work involves human participants will conduct their work with appropriate regard for ethical principles and cultural values, and in accordance with the Treaty of Waitangi.

These principles and values include:

Justice
Safety
Truthfulness
Confidentiality
Respect

Researchers must also take into account the evolving understandings of how those principles and values are expressed in a society at a particular time.