New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has welcomed the government’s decision to halt new prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria, calling it a fulfilment of his party’s election promise.
“Today the government has announced it is halting any new prescribing of puberty blockers,” Peters said, adding that New Zealand First had been the only party to campaign nationwide for the move.
“It is commonsense to put a pause on these unproven and potentially damaging drugs for children until we assess the results of the clinical trials in the UK once it’s completed. Promise made. Promise kept.”
The government announced on Wednesday that it will pause new access to the drugs — gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues — until the findings of a major United Kingdom clinical trial, due in 2031.
Health Minister Simeon Brown told RNZ that the Cabinet decision was based on taking “a precautionary approach” while international evidence remains uncertain.
The medication will continue to be available for people already using it for gender dysphoria, and for conditions such as early-onset puberty, endometriosis, and prostate cancer.
Brown said the rules, coming into effect on 19 December, were intended to give families confidence that any treatment offered was “clinically sound and in the best interests of the young person”.
“These changes are about ensuring treatments are safe and carefully managed, while maintaining access to care for those who need it.”
Existing youth gender services will stay in place, with information consolidated into a national online hub.
ACT’s children’s spokesperson Karen Chhour told RNZ that the pause was a victory for “science, evidence, and the safety of children”, arguing that young people should be supported “to love themselves, not change themselves with experimental medication”.
Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March condemned the decision, accusing the government of “buying into imported culture wars” on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance.
The New Zealand government’s move aligns with policy shifts overseas following the Cass Review — a four-year NHS-commissioned investigation led by paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass. The review found the evidence base for gender-affirming medicine was “remarkably weak” and recommended a formal clinical trial, prompting the NHS to end routine access to puberty blockers for new patients. Sweden, Finland, and Norway have already tightened their guidelines.
A New Zealand Health Ministry report last year also found “a lack of high-quality evidence” on the benefits and risks of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria. The pause will remain in place until the results of the UK clinical trial are released in 2031.
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