The policy is led by the right-wing New Zealand First party. Its sport and recreation spokesman, Andy Foster, says it is “about fairness and safety in sport for women” and is to “ensure publicly funded sporting bodies support fair competition that is not compromised by rules relating to gender."
It is intended to protect amateur community sports in the country. International cricket, rugby, and swimming governing bodies have already banned trans-identified males from their female divisions.
New Zealand Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop made a statement to the NZ Herald:
“New Zealand First are very keen to make sure we have an inclusive environment and atmosphere for everybody – and that rules relating to gender don’t get in the way of that."
“It is a tricky one, a thorny issue. There’s strong views on both sides of the debate. I’ll work through that with the relevant sporting bodies.
“Ultimately it’s got to go over to sporting bodies to make sure that we have fair competition.”
