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Download AudioData from the Growing Up in New Zealand indicates the Ministry of Education may be missing the mark with free sanitary products.
A new study, Now We Are 12, looks at children’s experience of puberty.
Lead author Emma Marks says the age for puberty onset for taitamawahine is getting younger, with about half having started their periods by the age of 12.
That shows education on the subject needs to be targeted for a younger age.
Although the survey was done relatively early in the roll out of the free sanitary product programme, it showed 60 percent had never used them.
“There are lots of reasons they may not be using them. The schools may not be advertising they’ve got them. They may be in the sick bay, which is not a great way of saying ‘hey, this is a normal thing for half the population to go through but now I have to go to sick bay,’ and sometimes they want a different product,” Dr Marks says.
Having accessible period products at school is an important way to address period poverty and normalise the experience of puberty, which can help young people thrive at school and lead to better long term outcomes.
She says the way the puberty is taught is no longer just about the biology but is more holistic, including talk of healthy relationships.
The way young people felt about the onset of puberty ranged from annoyed to proud.
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