On 19 November 2025, the Government announced regulations for puberty blocker prescribing.
The new regulations are published on the New Zealand Legislation website:
From 19 December 2025, new prescriptions for GnRH analogues for the purpose of puberty suppression for children or adolescents with gender incongruence or gender dysphoria are no longer permitted for patients who have not been prescribed a GnRH analogue previously.
Young people already receiving GnRH analogue treatment for gender incongruence or gender dysphoria can continue under their existing care plan with informed consent from both the patient and caregiver.
Background
The regulations follow the publication in November 2024 of the Ministry of Health’s Evidence Brief (Impact of Puberty Blockers in Gender-Dysphoric Adolescents: An evidence brief) which found significant limitations in the quality of evidence on the benefits and risks of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria. No new substantive evidence has emerged since. While this uncertainty persists, the Government has taken a precautionary approach, similar to that taken in the United Kingdom.
Update following High Court decision
On 17 December 2025, the High Court made a declaration that the Crown should take no steps to enforce the regulations pending the result of a full judicial review.
However, it’s important to note that the regulations have not been set aside and are in force from 19 December 2025.
The Ministry of Health, as the enforcement agency of the Medicines Act 1981, will abide by the order set out by the Court and will not pursue enforcement of the regulations. This will be upheld until the conclusion of the substantive Judicial Review.
Further information
Support for young people and their families
Patients who are not able to access puberty blockers as part of their care can still access clinical support, including psychological support.
In some specialised areas of healthcare, with only limited demand, it can be challenging to easily navigate through local services. To assist with this, Health New Zealand is developing an online hub of resources with links to existing support services for gender-affirming care around the country. This is expected to be in place from March 2026.
Prescribing covered by the new regulations
The regulations do not restrict adult treatment contexts and apply only to new prescriptions for puberty suppression for child or adolescent patients with gender dysphoria or incongruence.
A prescriber must not prescribe a prescription medicine that is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue for the purpose of puberty suppression in a person who is a child or adolescent with:
- gender incongruence; or
- gender dysphoria.
This restriction does not apply to any patient who has been prescribed a prescription medicine that is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue before 19 December 2025.
Prescribing for under 16s
The regulation does not apply only to specific age groups.
From 19 December 2025, the regulation prohibits prescribing prescription medicine that is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue for the purpose of puberty suppression in a person who is a child or adolescent with:
- gender incongruence; or
- gender dysphoria.
Adult patients using goserelin as an anti-androgen
The restriction applies only to new prescriptions for puberty suppression in child or adolescent patients with gender dysphoria or incongruence.
Prescription medicines subject to restriction
The prescription medicines subject to the restriction include buserelin, deslorelin, gonadorelin, goserelin, leuprorelin, nafarelin, and triptorelin.
Prescribing for other uses of GnRH analogues
Prescribing for other indications, such as precocious puberty, endometriosis, and prostate cancer, remains unchanged.
Patients who have had treatment initiated outside of New Zealand
The restriction does not apply to a person who has been prescribed a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue for gender dysphoria or gender incongruence before 19 December 2025, whether that prescribing occurred in New Zealand or overseas.
Similarly, if a patient leaves New Zealand for a period, for example, to live in another country where they start treatment with puberty blockers and then returns to New Zealand (as a child/adolescent) to live permanently in the future, they will only be able to continue treatment
if they were first prescribed a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue for gender dysphoria or gender incongruence before 19 December 2025.
