2025–2026
Rules on puberty blockers exist; a court said the government should not enforce them for now.
Official sources
GnRH regulations exist; High Court non-enforcement recorded by the Court of Appeal. CSE in schools (RSE in HPE).
- NZ Legislation — GnRH amendment regulations 2025 →
- NZ Legislation — No 2 clarification (children and adolescents only) →
- Court of Appeal [2026] NZCA 8 (PDF) →
- Ministry of Health cabinet papers →
- Ministry of Education — Relationships and sexuality education →
- Education and Training Act 2020 s.51 — release from sexuality-education tuition →
Full official record
The December 2025 regulations restrict new GnRH analogue prescriptions — puberty blockers — for gender incongruence or dysphoria. Existing patients are carved out. The High Court declined to suspend the regulations but declared that the Crown should take no steps to enforce them pending judicial review ([2025] NZHC 4045). The Court of Appeal held that this order has, in effect, suspended enforcement ([2026] NZCA 8, 5 February 2026). A merits hearing was reported in 2026. No official High Court merits judgment disposing of the review was located on the Courts of New Zealand site. New Zealand is not listed as a ban in force.
A High Court merits judgment disposing of the review was not located on the Courts of New Zealand site. Until that official judgment is published, calling New Zealand a ban in force would hide the recorded non-enforcement order.
Schools detail
The Ministry of Education’s official parent portal (published 3 November 2025) states that relationships and sexuality education is taught within the Health and Physical Education learning area of the New Zealand Curriculum — covering friendships and relationships, consent, puberty, diversity, and sex education and sexual health. Education and Training Act 2020 s.51 treats sexuality education as part of the health curriculum and provides a written parental opt-out. The 2020 RSE guidelines document was withdrawn; that withdrawal is not a repeal of RSE in HPE.