Source: Family First
MEDIA RELEASE 21 October 2026
Family First NZ is shocked that the High Court has sided with activists who want to chemicalise gender-confused young people and interrupt the natural process of puberty in the name of gender ideology and the false belief that a child can change their sex, all on the basis of “discrimination” towards a childhood “disability”.
The decision is even more shocking given the recent and significant admission by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and its New Zealand affiliate, the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA), that its standards of care represent one side of an ongoing medical debate regarding the treatment of gender-distressed young people.
Family First NZ CEO Bob McCoskrie says the admission undermines claims that there is a settled scientific consensus supporting so-called “gender-affirming care” for minors.
“WPATH & PATHA have both been presented as the experts in transgender healthcare. Yet WPATH has now acknowledged that its position is one side of a significant medical debate.”
The Ministry of Health’s own Evidence Brief “…found a lack of good quality evidence for the effectiveness or safety of puberty blocking treatment in young people with gender dysphoria. We do not have good evidence to say that the medicines used improve the longer-term outcomes for young people with gender-related health needs – nor that the potential longer-term risks are low.”
This Brief sits alongside a growing literature of concern around puberty blockers, including the United Kingdom’s CASS Review, and in line with many other countries who have either restricted or banned the experimental use of puberty blockers on children suffering gender dysphoria – United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Italy, France, and many states within the USA.
But the Judge and the activists appear to know better.
Ironically, the High Court decision says that one of the reasons for the overturning on the ban on puberty blockers was “Indefinite prohibition of access to puberty blockers for new patients was a breach of right to freedom from discrimination on the prohibited ground of disability.”
Recognising your biological sex is not a “disability” but that proves just how idealistic the court has become.
The Court also said that there was a failure to consult directly with gender diverse young people – as though they are medical experts. Interestingly, the court has shown no inclination to consult with detransitioners who have suffered from using puberty blockers.
“If the evidence is contested, as WPATH itself now appears to acknowledge, then caution must prevail. Children deserve healthcare based on robust evidence, not ideology,” says Mr McCoskrie.
“The stakes could not be higher. These treatments can have life-altering consequences for young people. The Government has a responsibility to ensure that policies are guided by the strongest available evidence and not by pressure from advocacy groups.”
Family First says the latest developments demonstrate the need for open scientific debate and careful scrutiny of all claims surrounding medical interventions for gender-distressed children and adolescents.
A poll at the end of 2025 has found more than 2:1 support for the ban on puberty blockers announced recently by the Government, with only 23% opposing the ban. A majority of 50% support the ban. A further 27% were unsure.
Family First is encouraging voters to ask political parties whether they will ban puberty blockers and instead offer counselling and healing for gender confused children.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/10/21/media-release-high-court-sides-with-activists-not-vulnerable-children/