29 June 2026
Penny Claridge
[FYI request #34888 email]
Tēnā koe Penny
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00204723
Thank you for your email on 9 June 2026, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for
information about the National Cervical Screening Programme under the Official Information Act
1982 (the OIA). For clarity, I wil respond to each part of your request in turn.
Response
Please refer to Appendix 1, which sets out our decision on the release of documents within scope
of your request. These documents are attached as Appendix 2. Some information has been
withheld under section 9(2)(g)(i) of the OIA, to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs
through the free and frank expression of opinions. In making this decision, we have considered the
public interest in release and determined that it does not outweigh the need to withhold.
1.1 Committee Records and Internal Correspondence. Please provide:
Any NSU clinical advisory, clinical governance, or operational committee minutes or
papers, covering the period 1 January 2022 to 31 January 2024, that discussed the
language used in cervical screening public communications - specifically, any discussion of
the shift from "women" or "female" to "people with a cervix" in materials directed at the
general public.
There has been no single shift from using ‘women’ or ‘female’ to ‘people with a cervix’. ‘women’,
‘women and people with a cervix’ and ‘people with a cervix’ continue to be used in documents.
Language around gender and sex is changed depending on the audience.
Documents 1-4 of Appendix 2 contain excerpts of minutes from Health NZ’s Māori and Pacific
Campaign Advisory groups (CAG). These discussions have informed our resources, and the
decision to have separate rainbow resources. Additionally, we have provided the Pacific CAG
report (Document 5). Excerpts are provided in accordance with section 16(1)(e) of the OIA.
Any correspondence between NSU clinical staff and the communications or health
promotion team at Health New Zealand (or its predecessor, the Ministry of Health)
regarding the language change in National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP)
materials.
Health NZ conducted an IT sweep to identify emails and documents related to this part of your
request. This search yielded hundreds of potential results, all of which would need to be manual y
reviewed to identify any relevant information. The information in this question is therefore refused
under section 18(f) of the OIA, as it cannot be made available without substantial collation and
research.
In making this decision, we have considered extending the timeframe to respond, or charging, as
allowed under the OIA. However, neither of these options have been offered as we have
determined that providing this information would unreasonably interfere with the everyday functions
of the teams involved.
Any clinical evidence review, literature summary, or evidence brief that informed the
decision to adopt gender-neutral language in NCSP public materials.
Please refer to a focus group insights report by Wawata Creative (Document 6 of Appendix 2).
1.2 External Clinical Consultation
Please advise:
Whether any external clinical body was consulted on the language change, including but
not limited to: the Royal Australian and New Zealand Col ege of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), the New Zealand College of Midwives, or the Royal New
Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP). If so, please provide any
correspondence or written advice received from those bodies.
No clinical bodies were consulted – only individuals in advisory groups. Health NZ has no evidence
that RANZCOG, New Zealand Col ege of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, New Zealand College
of Midwives, or RNZCGP were consulted.
Part 2: Screening Coverage Data
2.1 Current Coverage Statistics
Please provide the most recent available NCSP screening coverage rates, broken down by:
(a) Age group
(b) Ethnicity
(c) Gender identity, if currently collected by the NCSP Register
(d) Region or former DHB area
This information is publicly available via the NCSP Shiny App:
https://tewhatuora.shinyapps.io/nsu-
ncsp-coverage/. Please note that we do not hold information on gender identity. That information is
therefore refused under section 18(g) of the OIA as it is not held by Health NZ and we do not have
grounds for believing it is held by another agency subject to the OIA.
2.2 NCSP Register - Gender Identity and Transgender Records Please advise:
Whether the NCSP Register currently records gender identity separately from biological sex
for enrolled individuals.
If so, how many individuals are currently recorded as transgender male, non-binary, or
another gender identity distinct from female. The number of individuals on the NCSP
Register who are registered with a male gender marker but who are flagged as eligible for
cervical screening.
The NCSP Register records sex assigned at birth, rather than gender identity. That information is
therefore refused under section 18(g) of the OIA as it is not held by Health NZ and we do not have
grounds for believing it is held by another agency subject to the OIA.
Part 3: Health Equity Analysis
3.1 Pre-adoption Assessment
Please provide any health equity impact assessment, Tiriti analysis, or population needs
analysis conducted before the adoption of gender-neutral language in NCSP materials,
specifically addressing:
(a) The estimated size of the AFAB (assigned female at birth) transgender and non-binary
population eligible for cervical screening in New Zealand.
(b) Any analysis of whether the use of gender-neutral language in cervical screening
materials could reduce screening uptake among cisgender women.
(c) Any evidence or modelling used to conclude that inclusive language would improve
screening coverage among gender-diverse people without reducing it among women.
3.2 Invitations Policy for AFAB Transgender and Non-Binary Individuals Please provide:
The NSU's current written policy on how AFAB transgender and non-binary individuals who
are enrolled on the NCSP Register with a male gender marker are invited to attend cervical
screening - including whether they receive standard recal invitations, targeted outreach, or
neither.
Fol owing an extensive search, Health NZ has been unable to find the information requested in
these parts. That information is therefore refused under section 18(e) of the OIA, as it does not
exist, or cannot be found despite reasonable efforts to locate it.
Part 4: Parliamentary Review Committee Recommendations
4.1 Implementation Status
Please provide:
Any NSU action plan, implementation register or formal response document prepared in
response to the 2021 Parliamentary Review Committee report on the NCSP, specifically
regarding recommendations relating to gender-inclusive language and outreach to gender-
diverse people.
Please refer to Document 7 of Appendix 2, which contains excerpts from the Parliamentary Review
Committee Action Plan.
The current status of any actions arising from those recommendations, including whether
any actions remain open, have been completed, or have been deferred.
Please refer to Document 8 of Appendix 2 for excerpts from:
Progress update: Implementing the
recommendations of the 2021 Parliamentary Review Committee report into the National Cervical
Screening Programme July 2025. Excepts are provided in accordance with section 16(1)(e) of the
OIA.
Part 5: Complaints and Feedback
5.1 Volume and Nature of Complaints
Please provide:
The number of complaints or feedback items received by the NSU or through the NCSP
between 1 January 2023 and the date of this request relating to:
(a) The removal of "women" or "female" from cervical screening materials.
(b) Gender-diverse people being excluded from, or confused by, cervical screening
communications.
We identified three complaints related to question (a) and none relating to question (b). However, it
is important to note that this total relating to question (a) may be an undercount as many
organisations work on the National Cervical Screening Pathway, meaning not all complaints are
collected centrally. It should also be noted that Health NZ has experienced several organisational
and IT changes over the past few years, which may mean not all complaints have been saved in a
central location. This total should be considered indicative only.
Any formal review or audit of HE1191 or HE1192 conducted after publication, including any
post-publication evaluation of the materials' effectiveness or reach.
We did not identify any formal review or audit of these resources. This information is therefore
refused under section 18(e) of the OIA, as it does not exist or cannot be found, despite reasonable
efforts to locate it.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address]. If you are not
happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman. Information
about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. Al requester data, including your name and
contact details, wil be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Sara Freitag
Manager, Government Services
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
Appendix 1
Document
Date
Title
Decision on release
Document 1 19 May 2023 Māori Campaign & Resources
Information released as an
Advisory Group (CAG) kanohi ki excerpt under section 16(1)(e)
te kanohi
of the OIA.
Information deemed outside the
scope of the request has been
removed.
Document 2 15 December Māori Campaign & Resources
Information released as an
2023
Advisory Group (CAG)
excerpt under section 16(1)(e)
of the OIA.
Information deemed outside the
scope of the request has been
removed.
Document 3 9 May 2023
Face-to-Face Pacific Campaign Information released as an
& Resources Advisory Group
excerpt under section 16(1)(e)
(CAG)
of the OIA.
Information deemed outside the
scope of the request has been
removed.
Some information withheld
under the following section of
the OIA:
• s9(2)(g)(i)
Document 4 13 June 2023 Pacific Campaign & Resources
Information released as an
Advisory Group (CAG)
excerpt under section 16(1)(e)
of the OIA.
Some information withheld
under the following section of
the OIA:
• s9(2)(g)(i)
Document 5 8 June 2023
PACIFIC CAG REPORT
Released in full
Pacific Cervical Screening
Resources Online Talanoa
PHASE 1: ADAPTED ENGLISH
VERSIONS
CO-DESIGN
Document
11 October
Phase 2: Cervical screening
Released in full
6
2023
insights presentation (Wawata
Creative)
Document 7 February
Action Plan: Implementing the
Information released as an
2024
recommendations of the 2021
excerpt under section 16(1)(e)
Parliamentary Review
of the OIA.
Committee Report in the NCSP
Information deemed outside the
scope of the request has been
removed.
Document 8 July 2025
Progress update
Information released as an
Implementing the
excerpt under section 16(1)(e)
recommendations of the 2021
of the OIA.
Parliamentary Review
Committee report into
the National Cervical Screening
Programme
July 2025
