All New Zealand schools to offer free period products as part of poverty drive

Every school in New Zealand will be stocked with free period products for female students from June, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has confirmed.

Principals and poverty groups have been calling for the move for years, saying period poverty meant some girls ended up skipping school during their periods because they could not afford the sanitary products to manage them hygienically.

Principals in deprived parts of the country also reported students resorting to using newspaper, toilet paper and phone books to manage their menstruation.

“Young people should not miss out on their education because of something that is a normal part of life for half the population,” said Ardern on Tuesday while announcing the rollout, which follows a pilot programme in some high-needs schools last year.

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“Providing free period products at school is one way the government can directly address poverty, help increase school attendance, and make a positive impact on children’s wellbeing,” she said.

Speaking from Fairfield College in Hamilton, the prime minister said students around the country had told her that period products should be made available for all who need them, when they need them.

Jan Tinetti, the minister for women and associate minister for education, said the pilot programme had identified myriad issues with managing periods in school environments, including embarrassment, stigma, missing classes, being “caught out” without products, cost, lack of knowledge on how to use products and discomfort.

“Feedback from the pilot noted that providing choice was important, both in types of products and the way they are accessed,” Tinetti said.

“Students also said they wanted information about periods, period products, and other practical elements of managing their period such as tracking and knowing when and who to reach out to for assistance.”

According to Dignity NZ, a non-government organisation that advocates for an end to period poverty, 95,000 nine- to 18-year-olds may stay at home during their periods because they cannot afford sanitary products.

Miranda Hitchings, co-founder of Dignity, said: “It’s a fantastic investment from our government. However, this is just the beginning. Period poverty doesn’t just affect students. It’s a subset of poverty, and many other groups, like those experiencing homelessness and income loss, deeply feel the implications from a lack of access to products.”

Findings from the Youth19 Survey found 12% of Year 9 to Year 13 students who menstruate reported difficulty accessing sanitary products, while approximately one in 12 students reported skipping school because they couldn’t afford products.

Otago University found girls who experience period poverty face lifelong implications “for their health, emotional development, education and career prospects”.

The Labour coalition government aims to halve child poverty in a decade, and Ardern said while that task had been made more complex by the implications of Covid-19, it was important to invest in programmes that would make an “immediate difference” to the lives of deprived girls around the country.