Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill
This bill wants to set fixed legal meanings for the words 'woman', 'man', 'female', and 'male' in New Zealand law. Under the bill, 'woman' would mean an adult human biological female and 'man' would mean an adult human biological male. These meanings would automatically apply across all New Zealand laws wherever those words appear, unless a specific law says something different. It was introduced by MP Jenny Marcroft.
What this affects
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The definitions would apply in health laws, meaning 'woman' and 'man' in those laws would refer to biological sex unless the specific health law says otherwise.
In any legislation, regardless of gender identity— (a) woman means an adult human biological female
This definition will apply in all contexts where the terms 'woman' and 'man' are used, unless explicitly stated otherwise in specific legislation.
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Social Services and Community Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 1 July 2026.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.