Politics blog week of 21/07

Sport New Zealand has removed its guidelines for the Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport.

The guidance was first published in 2022 and was based on the principle that everyone should be able to participate in sports. It said that grass roots sports participants should be able to play sport based on the gender they identify as.

Stuff understands the guidelines were removed because of a Government directive to review policies about transgender sports people. 

Stuff approached Sports Minister Mark Mitchell and Sport NZ to ask about the guidelines on Wednesday, but neither responded to the request for comment. 

The guidance became a political issue because NZ First campaigned on limiting funding to sports that were “compromised by rules relating to gender”.

The National Party agreed to that policy, and it was included in their 2023 coalition agreement.

Last year, former sports minister Chris Bishop directed Sports NZ to “review and update” its principles for gender inclusivity.

“I have come to the view that the Guiding Principles do 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,” Bishop said, at the time.

NZ First leader Winston Peters said he wanted Sport NZ to advocate against “biological males” taking part in “women’s sports”.

“This woke ideology by Sport NZ may sound ‘inclusive’ but lacks any common sense and is not based in any reality,” he said, when the guidelines were released. 

These were guidelines, and not regulations or policies that sports clubs had to comply with.