New Zealand's High Court has ruled that government regulations banning new prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria were unlawful, RNZ reports. The regulations, recommended by the health minister in November 2025, had been put on hold by court orders after the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa sought a judicial review.
The court found the government had not properly consulted on the substance of the rules or directly consulted gender-diverse young people, and that the restrictions discriminated against them in breach of the Bill of Rights. It said some restrictions could be justified, but a complete ban on new patients was disproportionate. It rejected claims that the minister had acted for the improper purpose of advancing New Zealand First's agenda, and set the regulations aside.
Source: RNZ
