Radio and television stations dedicated to
Māori programming
Expectation of familiarity with common Māori phrases, protocols,
and customs
Traditions
& Laws
Māori Traditions
Multiple gender categories prior to European arrival
“Transgender people play an important role...
as holders and transmitters of ancestral knowledge.”
Homosexuality was accepted in early culture & depicted in art
Colonial Laws
NZ was first nation in the world to give women the right to vote (1893)
MSM criminalized starting in 1840,
but never WSW
Homosexual Law Reform Bill of 1986
Modern Laws
Bill of Rights Act of 1990
Human Rights Act of 1993
Domestic Violence Act of 1995
“Michael” v. Registrar-General of Births,
Deaths, and Marriages (2008)
New Zealand Now
Gender Equity
38% of MPs in Parliament are women,
as is Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Last year the Ministry of Health boosted the funding available for gender-affirming surgeries
Kiwis may choose M, F, or X (gender diverse) on passports
Parents of intersex babies may choose to have a child’s sex registered as “indeterminate” on a birth certificate
Intersex activists are working to ban the practice of gender assignment surgery at birth
NZ has developed a new statistical standard for gender identity which should enable them to collect more accurate data about issues such as gender-based violence
Sexuality
Suddenly considering a move from America to New Zealand? NZ has a link for that!
