New Zealand AXES transgender 'inclusivity' guidelines in sport
Sport NZ has pulled its trans inclusion principles following government direction prioritising fairness and safety.
Sport New Zealand has scrapped its transgender inclusion guidelines in community sport, removing the document from its website after a directive from the new coalition government.
The guidelines, first published in 2022 at the height of inclusivity politics, encouraged sporting bodies to consider principles such as inclusion, safety, anti-discrimination and gender identity when shaping their policies. However, following a review ordered last year, the government has decided to end all work on the document entirely.
“After considering the review, the government has informed Sport NZ that it should not be involved in publishing guidelines related to gender in sport,” said Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle. She added that individual organisations will still be able to make their own decisions on participation, with support from external groups if needed.
The decision aligns with the coalition agreement between the National Party and New Zealand First, which promised to ensure publicly funded sporting bodies uphold fair competition without being undermined by gender-based rules.
Former minister for sport Chris Bishop previously criticised the 2022 guidelines, saying they “did not reflect legitimate community expectations that sport at a community level should not just be focused on diversity, inclusion, and equity, but also prioritise fairness and safety”.
The principles themselves were not mandatory and had no legal standing, but they had drawn criticism from groups like Save Women’s Sport Australasia, which published an open letter earlier this month urging the government to scrap them. The group argued the guidelines created unnecessary confusion and pressure for national bodies reliant on Sport NZ funding.
Labour’s Shanan Halbert claimed the move as a “step backwards”, accusing the government of “removing and excluding people from playing sport”. He questioned whether a political deal with New Zealand First had influenced the outcome.
The original document stated that “every New Zealander has the right to participate in sport” and that transgender people should be able to play “in the gender they identify with”. It also claimed that gender identity does not present a safety risk, an assertion increasingly challenged by both international sporting bodies and growing public concern.
