Contraception
Most contraceptives are fully funded by Pharmac, with the prescription charge removed in 2023. Trained pharmacists can supply oral contraception and emergency contraception without a prescription, and long-acting methods are funded and promoted.
Key points
| Funding | Most methods fully funded; prescription charges removed in 2023 |
|---|---|
| Pharmacist supply | Oral contraception and emergency contraception available directly from trained pharmacists |
| LARC | Funded; some providers offer free insertion for eligible groups |
| Minors | Under-16s can consent to contraception; services are confidential |
| Sexual health clinics | Free services including condoms |
| Māori and Pacific access | Targeted programmes address persistent access gaps |
| Funded methods | Most contraception is fully funded for eligible people |
| Long-acting methods | Funded, including insertion by trained nurses |
| Under-16s | Can consent to contraception where they understand the decision |
In practice
- Ask a trained pharmacist for a repeat supply instead of booking a GP appointment.
- Family planning clinics fit implants and coils at low or no cost.
Cost and coverage
Free or very low cost for most people.
Recent changes
Removing the five-dollar prescription charge in 2023 was specifically intended to stop cost being a barrier to continuing contraception.
Where to go
- Family Planning New Zealand clinics.
- Participating community pharmacies.
- Healthline 0800 611 116 for advice.
Worth knowing
A pharmacist can supply up to a year's worth of the pill in some circumstances — worth asking about if getting GP appointments is difficult. Access differs markedly between urban and rural areas. Where a local service is limited, a family planning clinic in the nearest centre will usually see you without a referral.
The general article: Contraception · Compare with another country
Abortion
The Abortion Legislation Act 2020 took abortion out of the Crimes Act and made it a health issue. It is available on request up to 20 weeks; after that, a qualified health practitioner must reasonably believe the abortion is clinically appropriate, having consulted at least one other practitioner.
Key points
| On request | Up to 20 weeks |
|---|---|
| After 20 weeks | Clinical appropriateness test, with consultation of another practitioner |
| Consent | A person of any age may consent for themselves; no parental consent required |
| Self-referral | Direct contact with a provider; no GP gatekeeping |
| Telehealth | DECIDE national telehealth service provides early medical abortion |
| Safe areas | Can be designated around premises providing abortion services |
| Health matter | The 2020 Act removed abortion from the Crimes Act entirely |
In practice
- Contact the DECIDE telehealth service or a local provider directly.
- Early medical abortion can be managed remotely with medication couriered or collected.
- Counselling is available but never mandatory.
- Contraception is offered as part of the care.
- Call the national helpline for a referral-free appointment.
- Ask about early medication abortion by telehealth if travel is difficult.
Cost and coverage
Free for eligible residents, including the medication and follow-up.
Recent changes
The 2020 reform also removed the requirement for two certifying consultants, which had been the main source of delay under the previous law.
Where to go
- DECIDE — national abortion telehealth service.
- Family Planning New Zealand.
- Healthline for general health advice.
Worth knowing
Because a person of any age can consent, under-16s do not need a parent's permission — a point worth knowing for young people who fear being found out. New Zealand is unusual in having removed abortion from the criminal law altogether, which changes the clinician's obligations rather than yours.
The general article: Abortion · Compare with another country
Sexual orientation
Same-sex marriage has been legal since 2013, and the Human Rights Act has prohibited discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation since 1993. The Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act came into force in 2022, creating offences where practices are performed on a young person or cause serious harm. Since 2023 people have been able to change the sex recorded on their birth certificate by self-identification.
New Zealand legislated marriage equality in 2013, banned conversion practices in 2022 with criminal penalties where harm is caused to a minor or a person lacking capacity, and moved to self-identification for the sex marker on birth certificates in 2021 — an administrative process without medical evidence. The Human Rights Act covers sexual orientation, and gender identity is treated as covered through sex discrimination.
Key points
| Marriage | Legal since 2013 |
|---|---|
| Discrimination | Prohibited on grounds of sexual orientation since 1993 |
| Conversion practices | Prohibited since 2022, with criminal offences in defined circumstances |
| Birth certificates | Self-identification of sex marker since 2023 |
| Parenthood | Both parents recognised at birth for clinic-assisted conception |
| Blood donation | Deferral rules progressively reduced |
| Complaints | Free dispute resolution through the Human Rights Commission |
In practice
- The Human Rights Commission provides free, confidential dispute resolution before any formal claim.
- Conversion practices can be reported even where the person consented, if they were under eighteen.
- Rainbow youth organisations offer free counselling and support in most regions.
- Self-identification does not require medical evidence or a court appearance.
Cost and coverage
Human Rights Commission services are free.
Recent changes
The Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act took effect in 2022, and birth certificate sex markers moved to self-identification in 2021 following the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Act.
Where to go
- Human Rights Commission, free dispute resolution.
- Rainbow youth and community organisations.
- National free counselling and crisis lines.
Worth knowing
The 2022 Act distinguishes between prohibited practices and ordinary expressions of religious belief or clinical advice. It is aimed at directed attempts to change a person, not at conversations.
Frequently asked questions
How does changing a birth certificate work?
By self-identification through an administrative application to the registrar, without medical evidence or a court process, since the 2021 amendment. A young person can apply with the support of a guardian. This replaced a Family Court procedure that required evidence of medical treatment.
What does the conversion practices ban cover?
It prohibits practices directed at changing or suppressing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, with criminal offences where the practice is performed on someone under eighteen or lacking capacity, or where serious harm results, and a civil complaints route to the Human Rights Commission otherwise.
The general article: Sexual orientation · Compare with another country
Drugs and controlled substances
A 1975 statute, a 2019 amendment directing police discretion towards health, and a referendum that narrowly said no.
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 classifies drugs in Classes A, B and C. An amendment in 2019 requires police to consider whether a health-centred or therapeutic approach would be more beneficial than prosecution for possession and personal use. A binding referendum on legalising and regulating cannabis was held in 2020 and was narrowly defeated.
The 2019 amendment did not decriminalise possession; it directed prosecutorial discretion, and prosecutions for simple possession have fallen substantially since.
New Zealand operates a lawful drug checking service: providers licensed under the Drug and Substance Checking Legislation Act test substances at events and in clinics, and the law protects both the service and its clients.
Medicinal cannabis is available on prescription through a domestic scheme established in 2020.
Supply of a Class A drug carries up to life imprisonment.
Key points
| Main statute | Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 |
|---|---|
| 2019 amendment | Police must consider a health approach for possession and personal use |
| 2020 referendum | Cannabis legalisation narrowly rejected |
| Drug checking | Lawful and licensed, protected by statute |
| Class A supply | Up to life imprisonment |
In practice
- The Alcohol Drug Helpline is free on 0800 787 797, around the clock.
- Drug checking services publish alerts when a dangerous substance is found in circulation; they are worth following before a festival.
- Needle exchange is nationwide and free.
Cost and coverage
Public addiction services are free. Drug checking is free.
Recent changes
Drug checking has been made permanent and has repeatedly identified substances sold as MDMA that were in fact cathinones, with alerts issued in real time.
Where to go
- Alcohol Drug Helpline, 0800 787 797.
- KnowYourStuffNZ and licensed drug checking providers.
- National Poisons Centre, 0800 764 766.
- Emergencies: 111.
Worth knowing
Police discretion is not immunity. The decision remains with the officer, and a prosecution for simple possession is still lawful.
Frequently asked questions
Did New Zealand decriminalise drugs in 2019?
No. The amendment directs police to consider a health approach, which has reduced prosecutions without changing the offence.
Is drug checking legal?
Yes, and it is protected by statute for both the provider and the person bringing a sample.
The general article: Drugs and controlled substances · Compare with another country
Alcohol and tobacco
The country that legislated a generational tobacco ban — and then repealed it before it took effect.
New Zealand passed world-leading legislation in 2022 that would have created a generational sales ban, cut nicotine levels in cigarettes and reduced the number of retailers by more than ninety per cent. The incoming government repealed it in 2023 before any of it took effect, a reversal watched closely internationally. The minimum age remains eighteen, and the national quit service is free.
New Zealand legislated the world's first generational tobacco ban in 2022, together with a drastic reduction in the number of retailers and a cap on nicotine levels — and then repealed all three measures in February 2024, before they took effect, as part of a coalition agreement. The Smokefree 2025 goal remains formally in place, pursued now through excise, cessation support and vaping as a substitute.
Key points
| Legal age | 18 for alcohol and tobacco |
|---|---|
| Generational ban | Legislated in 2022, repealed in 2023 before taking effect |
| Denicotinisation | Also legislated and repealed |
| Retailer reduction | Planned cut of more than ninety per cent, abandoned |
| Vaping | Widely used as a quitting aid; restrictions on disposable products introduced |
| Quit service | Free national service with coaching and subsidised products |
| Māori health | Smoking rates remain markedly higher, with dedicated services |
In practice
- The national quit service is free and provides nicotine replacement at a nominal prescription cost.
- Kaupapa Māori quit services are free and designed around whānau rather than the individual.
- Vaping is officially supported as a cessation route for adults who smoke.
- For alcohol, the national helpline is free and confidential.
Cost and coverage
The quit service is free; nicotine replacement costs a nominal prescription fee.
Recent changes
The generational tobacco ban, retailer reduction and nicotine cap legislated in 2022 were repealed in February 2024 before taking effect. Vaping regulation has been tightened instead, with restrictions on disposables and on shops near schools.
Where to go
- Quitline New Zealand, free by phone and text.
- Kaupapa Māori stop smoking services.
- Alcohol Drug Helpline.
Worth knowing
The 2023 repeal makes New Zealand the only country to have enacted and then withdrawn a generational tobacco ban. Nothing from that package is in force.
Frequently asked questions
Does New Zealand still have a generational tobacco ban?
No. It was legislated in 2022 and repealed in February 2024 before coming into force, along with the planned retailer reduction and nicotine cap. The repeal attracted international attention because the package had been widely studied as a model.
What is the Smokefree 2025 goal?
A long-standing target of reducing daily smoking to under five per cent of the population. It has no statutory force. With the endgame measures repealed, the tools are excise increases, cessation services and the availability of vaping products as a substitute.
The general article: Alcohol and tobacco · Compare with another country
General sources
- govt.nz — official government information
- New Zealand Legislation — acts and regulations