95bFM ‘Victorian attitude’: Government removal of Relationships and Sexuality Education guidelines remain without alternative
20 March, 2025
Interview by Joel Armstrong, adapted by Natasha Gordon
Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation New Zealand, Shaun Robinson, says that the government removing RSE guidelines in schools without offering a distinct alternative is a “total cop-out,” that will impact the mental health of students, particularly those from marginalised communities.
The government has recently removed the Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) guidelines without including a clear alternative.
RSE guidelines were changed in 2020 to better support and include updates to the 2007 curriculum for primary and secondary school students on topics such as the prominence of social media, bullying and cyber-bullying, and consent, in an age-appropriate manner.
Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation New Zealand, Shaun Robinson, told 95bFM’s The Wire that removing these guidelines without a clear alternative is concerning.
“What the government has done, which is a total cop-out, is essentially tak[ing] those guidelines away and say[ing], oh, people can use what was there in 2007.”
“The 2007 guidelines were written before things like social media were anywhere near as prominent as they are now. So they're really out of date.”
Concerns have been raised about whether a move like this will impact the mental health of students, especially from minority communities, such as the LGBTQIA+ community.
Robinson says, “A lot of bullying occurs around gender, around body image, around ethnicity, as well as around, you know, gender identity. These were all topics that were covered in the RSE. Relationships were not just about sexual relationships”.
He says we may see a spike in poor mental health because young people are already struggling across the board, but the removal of RSE also removes one tool teachers had to try to address these issues.
“Really what we've done is just throw out the learning of the last 15 years and say, well, a list of topics will do, which is just really quite ridiculous.”
Robinson says the coalition government is planning a review of the RSE guidelines, but that won't come until the full curriculum review in 2027.
“The National-led part of the government has said, yes, we will review the RSE guidelines and replace them. But they're actually not replacing them, they've just removed them, and they're copping out by saying, well, the whole curriculum's being reviewed and we'll do it as part of that.”
Robinson says this move is a reflection of conservative-driven views in our current government and does not take into account what students are saying they want and need.
“We are totally in a state of limbo. This is really a reaction to New Zealand First's position, which was driven by very conservative elements within our community; a minority of people who are very confronted by the notion of sexuality, of children being introduced to concepts and issues around sexuality, and especially gender identity.”
“I think it's part of a worldwide moral panic over trans issues, over LGBT issues.”
Robinson says he hopes the 2027 review changes will engage young people sensibly in a modern context.
“I certainly hope that when we do get to the 2027 review of the curriculum, that we're not still in this ridiculous cultural war of trying to turn the clock back to the 1950s.”
“We should have moved on from this ridiculous kind of Victorian attitude. And we should be listening to young people who in survey after survey have said, ‘we want guidance on these issues.’”
