The guidelines were fully approved by Health New Zealand and were meant to be published in March this year but, 24 hours before they were due to go public, the release was halted. <\/p>\n
Health New Zealand this month told Re: News it will publish the guidelines “once decisions are made by the Government\u201d about puberty blockers. But there\u2019s still no timeline for when this will be. <\/p>\n
General practitioner (GP) and gender affirming care specialist Dr Rona Carroll says the Government has been exploring whether to implement restrictions on puberty blocker prescribing, and the release of the guidelines has \u201cbeen caught up with that\u201d. But she says information about puberty blockers makes up a \u201ctiny fraction\u201d of what\u2019s covered in the guidelines. <\/p>\n
\u201cOnly around five or six pages of the entire document [are about puberty blockers] and it actually supports safer prescribing than what’s currently out there,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
More than 300 medical bodies, community organisations, and individual healthcare professionals have signed an open letter calling on the Government to allow Health New Zealand to release the guidelines. <\/p>\n
Carroll says they have asked if the guidelines could be released without the pages on puberty blockers, and the document could be updated when that information has been decided. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut we’ve been told that can’t happen and have not been given any reason for why not,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there around gender affirming health care, and we can see an influence in New Zealand of what’s happening overseas. To me, it seems like political interference in a routine clinical guideline update, which is the core business of Health New Zealand.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u2018Clear need\u2019 for updated information <\/p>\n
As a GP working in this space, Carroll says she is contacted \u201cmost days\u201d by health professionals asking how to provide appropriate care for their trans and non-binary patients. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey are struggling to find things that are up to date,\u201d she says. \u201cHealthcare providers often aren’t taught very much about this in their training. So, commonly, patients feel like they have to educate their healthcare providers.\u201d <\/p>\n
Research by Counting Ourselves, a community-led survey about the health and well-being of trans and non-binary patients, shows nearly half (47%) of these patients have had to provide information to their healthcare provider to get appropriate care. <\/p>\n
![\"Dr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dr-rona-carroll-gender-affirmation-XZCFJDWXP5HH7J4DTUB3K7WM5I.png\")
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Dr Rona Carroll says she gets calls \u201cmost days\u201d from health workers who need guidance on trans and non-binary health care. Photo: Zoe Madden-Smith. (Source: Re: News)<\/p>\n
In 2022, less than half (45%) reported that their main health worker knew most things about gender affirming care \u2013 down from 58% in 2018. For 16%, their doctor knew very little or nothing. <\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, it\u2019s very common for trans people to have negative healthcare experiences,\u201d Carroll says. \u201cWe know from healthcare providers that they don’t feel confident and don’t feel like they’ve got the knowledge.\u201d <\/p>\n
Rollercoaster treatment ‘disaster’<\/p>\n
When Natasha Munro Hurn began her journey with gender affirming care, she knew it would be a process. <\/p>\n
But she didn\u2019t expect it to be a rollercoaster \u201cdisaster\u201d that would initially ruin her self-esteem and perception of her body. <\/p>\n
At first, Natasha had to wait two years to see a psychologist who approved her for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). But when she \u201cfinally\u201d started on HRT, she was given a dose of a testosterone blocker called Spironolactone that was too low to have a noticeable effect on her body. <\/p>\n
The gender affirming care guidelines from 2018 say to start on 50-100mg of Spironolactone, and this can be increased to up to 200mg. <\/p>\n
![\"Natasha](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/natasha-munro-hurn-1-gender-affirmation-L63KTREDLVAL3PIZ5NDUJNQHGE.png\")
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Natasha Munro Hurn (Source: Re: News)<\/p>\n
But Natasha spent more than 12 months on 25mg and only found this out when she moved cities and saw a new doctor. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a massive blow to my self-esteem,\u201d she says. \u201cIt just kind of ruined the perception of my body because I still had the same body I had before, but it was a year later.\u201d <\/p>\n
Natasha says it took a long time to realise it was the incorrect dose because she trusted that her doctor knew what to do. <\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t really question the doctor,\u201d she says. \u201cThis isn\u2019t medication I\u2019ve ever used before so I saw him as the expert, even though there weren’t really any changes happening to my body.\u201d <\/p>\n
Guidelines seven years old<\/p>\n
Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey declined to be interviewed or comment. But Health New Zealand acknowledged in an email statement to Re: News that the current guidelines were now seven years old and that \u201cevidence in this area continues to evolve\u201d. <\/p>\n
![\"Minister](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/matt-doocey-alcohol-advertising-mental-health-in-prisons-tou-NSPVR7AJBJC2BLYP6LJSQORQZI.png\")
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Minister Matt Doocey didn’t want to comment on the situation. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe updated guidelines have been designed to support clinicians to provide holistic care to transgender and gender diverse people seeking gender affirming and other healthcare,\u201d it said. <\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, this includes guidance around prescribing and the use of puberty blockers. Publication of the updated guidelines will occur once decisions are made by the Government following the Ministry\u2019s consultation process.\u201d <\/p>\n
But in the meantime, as health workers wait for the release of the guidelines, they should \u201ctake advice from colleagues who are more experienced\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u2018Life or death\u2019 situations <\/p>\n
Since being on the correct dose of HRT, Natasha says her life has changed drastically. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s quite exciting, every day I see changes. It feels good finally. Like \u2018oh, I’m finally being the person I’ve always desired to be\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n
Natasha\u2019s message to the Government is simple: \u201cHealthcare should be for everyone, this is literally life or death situations. Just be kind and let this information get out,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n