“Give us more” – young people want sex ed to be earlier, longer, and more inclusive

More than 1000 people aged 16 to 20 responded to a Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa survey on relationships and sexuality education (RSE) in schools.  
 
Chief executive Jackie Edmond says she chose to carry out the survey at a time when RSE was a topic of much debate – as young people’s voices were noticeably absent. “Government has carried out a review of RSE and politicians are weighing in, particularly on hot topics like gender. But nobody seems to be asking young people what they want.”  
 
“Our survey respondents were clear that they wanted RSE better timed to correspond to their needs around sexual activity and relationships. Young people told us that the information they get often comes “too late” as they have already started puberty or started their period before learning about it,” Ms Edmond says.    
 
“The same is true for sexual activity and relationships. Many of those who responded to our survey highlighted the issue of safety. They talked about how the skills learned in RSE helped them identify and understand sexual harassment, assault and abuse. More than three quarters of survey respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that RSE lessons beyond Year 10 would be beneficial to their personal development and well-being.”  
 
Ms Edmond says the initial survey results are being released ahead of the new curriculum launch which is due in Term 4 of this year.  
 
“The RSE curriculum has become a politicised issue with lots of imported rhetoric. We felt it was important that young people, for whom the curriculum should be designed, should be the voices at the forefront of this debate.  
 
“I was also struck in the survey responses by young people’s concern for a curriculum which worked not just for them but for their peers, including their LGBTQIA+ peers, and their teachers.  
 
In their responses, young people told us the changes they want to see:

• Provide more RSE earlier and continue it into later years of secondary school  
• Ensure that RSE content is inclusive and comprehensive for all genders  
• Consult with young people about what is included in RSE
• RSE is seen by young people as critically important and necessary 
• Provide more access to teachers who are teaching RSE. Students perceive that teachers are uncomfortable with the content and want them to be better supported. 

Ms Edmond says the content released today is a high-level summary of the survey and a final version will be released before the end of 2025. 
 
Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa Community Health Promoter Julia Drury is retiring at the end of this year after more than 34 years working in and around RSE. She says her take-home message from a career spent working with young people is that they want RSE to be compulsory and inclusive from Year 1 to Year 13 so that online learning – for instance through social media – isn’t the default.  
 
“Young people want knowledge and skills to negotiate healthy relationships, talk with others about consent and discuss the realities of body image and sharing images at school. It’s crucial that this happens before they are confronted with online images that don’t look like them or views and attitudes they don’t share,” she says.  
 
Read the summary document.