Summarised by Centrist
A campaign against NZ First’s Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill is drawing scrutiny from critics who say publicly funded advocacy groups are helping drive opposition to the proposal.
The bill would amend the Legislation Act 2019 to define “woman” as “an adult human biological female” and “man” as “an adult human biological male”.
Submissions close at 11.59pm on 2 July 2026.
Commentator Penny Marie NZ argues the backlash has been presented as a broad rainbow-community response, when the central dispute is more specifically about whether gender identity should override or
sit alongside biological sex in law.
She points to Stats NZ’s 2023 Census figures showing 4.9% of adults were counted in the broader LGBTIQ+ population, while transgender and non-binary people made up 0.7% of usually resident adults.
Her argument is that gay and lesbian New Zealanders are not erased by defining “man” and “woman” in biological terms, and that opposition to the bill is being driven by gender-identity activists and aligned institutions.
She also highlights taxpayer funding for groups such as InsideOUT and RainbowYOUTH, including previous government funding for rainbow mental health, school support and peer-support services.
The concern, she says, is that what appears to be many separate voices may in practice be a coordinated network of advocacy organisations, campaign hubs and allied professional bodies.
Opponents of the bill argue it is harmful, discriminatory and risks writing people out of the law.
Supporters say it would restore clarity to sex-based language across legislation.
Marie says the deeper issue is whether law should remain anchored in biological sex, or whether the undefined concept of gender identity should become a competing legal category.
