Gender-affirming healthcare availability
Gloria Fraser made this Official Information request to Counties Manukau District Health Board
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From: Gloria Fraser
Kia ora,
I am writing to request information about the gender-affirming healthcare services provided by the Counties Manukau District Health Board, as a follow up to a similar request I made in May 2018.
Could you please advise whether the following gender-affirming healthcare services are funded by the Counties Manukau District Health Board for transgender patients, and whether the services are currently available:
- Puberty blockers
- Hormone therapy
- Mastectomy
- Hysterectomy
- Orchidectomy
- Facial hair removal
- Breast augmentation
- Voice training
- Facial feminization surgery
Could you please also advise:
- Are transgender healthcare providers under the Counties Manukau District Health Board encouraged to follow Oliphant et al’s (2018) Guidelines for gender affirming healthcare for gender diverse and transgender children, young people and adults in Aotearoa New Zealand? If not, which guidelines do they follow, if any?
- Is a readiness assessment required to access gender-affirming healthcare services? (This is an assessment of readiness for treatment from a medical and psychosocial perspective, as well as whether the client understands the risks and benefits of treatment, and is sometimes referred to as a ‘mental health assessment’).
- If a readiness assessment is required to access gender-affirming healthcare services, who carries out this assessment? Is this assessment funded by the Counties Manukau District Health Board? Does the assessment use an informed consent model?
- What steps is the Counties Manukau District Health Board taking to improve healthcare provision for transgender New Zealanders?
If you require any clarification about this request, please let me know.
Ngā mihi,
Gloria
From: Communications (CMDHB)
Counties Manukau District Health Board

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From: Dinah Nicholas (CMDHB)
Counties Manukau District Health Board
Dear Gloria
Thank you for your Official Information Act request, received today.
We are working on a response for you, which will be sent as soon as practical and within the 20 working day timeframe as per the Ombudsman's Guidance, by 16 May 2019. We will contact you if we have any queries with the request or need to extend the timeframe for your response. In those cases, we will advise why the extension is necessary, and indicate when the response will be ready.
Please note that, like all DHBs across New Zealand, Counties Manukau DHB has begun a process of proactive disclosure, which means OIA responses will be publicly available via our website around 10 days after they have been released. Our response will advise if we intend to publish the response, (with personal information removed) and related documents on the CMDHB website. If you advise us of special reasons why proactive disclosure should not apply to your response, we will consider this.
Kind regards
Dinah
Dinah Nicholas
Executive Assistant to Margie Apa - Chief Executive
Board Secretary
___________________________________________
T: +64 9 277 3401 I Ext: 53401 I M: 021 682 923
[email address]
Room 13, Poutasi Corridor, Middlemore Hospital, Otahuhu
Middlemore Hospital, Private Bag 93311, Otahuhu, Auckland 1640
www: [email address]
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From: Dinah Nicholas (CMDHB)
Counties Manukau District Health Board
Dear Gloria
Please find attached our final response to your request for Information.
Kind regards,
Dinah
Dinah Nicholas
Executive Assistant to Margie Apa - Chief Executive
Board Secretary
___________________________________________
T: +64 9 277 3401 I Ext: 53401 I M: 021 682 923
[1][email address]
Room 13, Poutasi Corridor, Middlemore Hospital, Otahuhu
Middlemore Hospital, Private Bag 93311, Otahuhu, Auckland 1640
www: [2][email address]
[3]cid:image001.png@01D1964E.44331930
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