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IN THE PAST, NEW ZEALAND HAS BEEN PREPARED TO GO ALONG WITH THE INTERESTS OF ITS MAJOR ALLIES. BUT INCREASINGLY IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT THE INTERESTS OF A SMALL ISOLATED ISLAND NATION AND THOSE OF THE LARGE INDUSTRALIZED WESTERN NATIONS WILL NOT ALWAYS COINCIDE. NEW ZEALAND HAS THEREFORE BEEN, AND WILL INCREASINGLY BE, FORCED TO SPEAK OUT ON ITS OWN BEHALF.

Researchers and research ethics committees share a common goal of conducting ethically sound research. However, little is known of researchers' experiences in obtaining ethics approval for suicide-related studies. This study aimed to investigate what concerns researchers have received on suicide-related ethics applications and how they dealt with it. Thirty-four respondents, recruited through the International Association for Suicide Prevention, filled out an online survey. The study found that researchers have received important concerns regarding potential harm and researchers' responsibilities to participants. Researchers modified their application and/or consulted their research ethics committee in response to the concerns, which had a positive/neutral impact on their given study. Anticipating concerns and improved collaboration between researchers and research ethics committees should protect the quality of suicide prevention research.