In brief

• New Zealand welcomes its rainbow community. 
• But promoting transitional drugs to children is another matter.
• Health New Zealand no longer says puberty blockers are “safe and fully reversible”.
• Yet the Government funds charities that promote the use of puberty blockers, without the cautions.
• More political interference in medicine?

General acceptance does not mean questions won’t be asked at schools

New Zealand is considered one of the most tolerant and inclusive nations on earth when it comes to recognising sexual orientation and gender identity, ahead of Australia. When our kids are involved though, people have their limits.

But a Curia Market Research poll showed Kiwis largely reject transgender ideology being taught to our children at school. 

NZME’s Jason Nockels, a gay man, penned an opinion piece for the NZ Herald in which he called for Pride festivals to be toned down and made more family friendly. 

Concern about puberty blockers grows

In 2021, the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) issued a position statement reflecting growing concern around the use of puberty blockers. 

Puberty blockers are synthetic hormones that block the body’s production of oestrogen or testosterone.

In 2022, Health New Zealand removed the words ‘’safe and fully reversible’’ to describe puberty blockers on their website, and instead urged they should only be used “under the guidance of a clinician who specialises in their use.”

Jan Rivers successfully lodged a complaint with the Media Council against Stuff for its biassed reporting on the safety of puberty blockers. The ruling against Stuff said “this article should have acknowledged that at a broader level there is debate over the use and safety of puberty blockers.”

Many countries have changed their stand on puberty blockers. The UK NHS has, for instance, ceased offering puberty blockers to children citing the need for more research  into the potential benefits and harms of these drugs.

Government funds “charities” who promote  puberty blockers

Gender Minorities Aotearoa is a New Zealand based trans rights organisation, which lists the Government as a major sponsor.

In an interview with New Zealand First candidate Shane Jones, journalist Sean Plunkett discusses how trans gender rights groups operate. 

Plunkett says charitable foundations aren’t subject to OIA requests and are supposedly independent of government. But these groups get government money through contracts for services and are then stacked with politically aligned people. 

Jones calls them “centres for applause”, which are set up to help sell  what the Government can’t achieve through a mandate. 

Gender Minorities Aotearoa work with people of all ages, including children. They still use the “safe and fully reversible” line to describe puberty blockers. 

Ironically, Gender Minorities Aotearoa warns against “far-right disinformation online”.