Full record
The government wrote new GnRH analogue restrictions for puberty blockers in children and adolescents with gender dysphoria or gender incongruence. The Medicines (Restriction on Prescribing Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Analogues) Amendment Regulations 2025 were made on 17 November 2025 and came into force on 19 December 2025. Puberty blockers remain available for other uses, including precocious puberty. New Zealand is marked Mixed.
On 17 December 2025 the High Court declined to suspend the regulations, then declared that the Crown should take no steps to enforce them pending PATHA’s judicial review ([2025] NZHC 4045). The Court of Appeal dismissed PATHA’s appeal on 5 February 2026 and recorded the Ministry of Health’s position: the regulations “have not been set aside and are in force from 19 December 2025,” and the Ministry “will not pursue enforcement of the regulations” until the substantive review concludes. The regulations were written. The Crown is not currently enforcing them.
[High Court judgment [2025] NZHC 4045 (PDF)](https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/2025/2025-NZHC-4045.pdf)
[Court of Appeal judgment [2026] NZCA 8 (PDF)](https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/2026/2026-NZCA-8.pdf)
Schools. The Ministry of Education’s live Relationships and sexuality education page (updated 3 November 2025) states that RSE is taught within Health and Physical Education — friendships and relationships, consent, puberty, respecting diversity and challenging stereotypes, sex education and sexual health. The 2020 RSE guides were withdrawn during the HPE refresh; this ministry page is the current official instrument.