Ro Edge: Save Women's Sport Australasia NZ Spokesperson on NZ First's bill aiming to legally define gender

New Zealand’s new bill is finding support from a women’s sport advocacy group. 

The new bill wants to codify sex-based language, defining a woman as an “adult human biological female” and a man as an “adult human biological male”.  

It comes as Britain’s Highest Court ruled that only biological women —not trans women— meet a definition of a woman under equity laws. 

Save Women’s Sport Australasia NZ Spokeswoman Ro Edge told Francesca Rudkin the bill is a protection for the sex-based rights of women.  

She says all it does is reinforce the urgent need for the likes of Sport New Zealand to prioritise and protect safety and fairness for biological women. 

Edge says they play sports with their bodies, not their identities.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Write. A New Member's Bill by New Zealand First will
aim to define men and women. The bill wants to
codify sex based language, defining a woman is an adult
human biological female and a man as an adult human
biological male. It comes as Britain's highest court ruled that
only biological and not trans women meet a definition of

(00:20):
a woman under equity laws save Women's Sport Australasia. New
Zealand spokeswoman wrote Edge joins me now, good morning, Row,
thanks for your time, Well, good morning. Are you happy
with this bill? Is there anything you'd change?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
No, I think it's much needed, you know. The Zealand
First Members Bill aims to ensure legal clarity on the
definition of a man and a woman, but in reality
its purpose is to protect the sex based rights of women.
Now globally, it's been recognized, and we saw this in
the UK last week that gender identity should not override
sex based provisions and protections. And so what this bill
does is it reinforces the urgent need for the likes

(00:55):
of support New Zealand to prioritize and protect venus and
safeties of biological females because we place thought with our
bodies not our identities.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Okay, so we make this definition, but we don't actually
know how this bill would apply to other legislation yet,
do we know.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
I think what it's about is ensuring that there is
that when women are referred to and men are referred
to in legislation and policy, that it is the biological
reality that is referred to. So you know, we see
with our Ministry for Women at the moment the definition
of woman as anyone who identifies as one. Well, it's
circular reasoning. I mean, what is a woman? Even Chris
Hipkins couldn't answer that, and why he might not deem

(01:32):
this as being a priority. Males competing and female thought
was actually the most of post social issue leading into
the last election, according to Labour's own posters. So would
suggest that given when he was asked as High Prime Minister,
like what is a woman and he couldn't answer it,
it's a great example of why this legislation is so
desperately needed.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
What does this mean for trans people? I mean you
can't just ignore them.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
No, this isn't about being anti anyone. It's about ensuring
the rights of women and girls are protected in law,
and these rights thoughtful by women over many generations and
some very valid reasons. We want everybody to be included,
like for instance, in sport because of the mental and
physical health benefits it brings, but it needs to be
in the category of their biological sex because otherwise it
raises fenness and safety issues.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
But couldn't we have that discussion without having to go
through this sort of process of throughing this definition into legislation.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
We have been trying to have this discussion for over
five years now and we've got absolutely nowhere. And what
we've seen is gender ideology completely capture our bureaucrats, our
policy and everything, and so women have had no rights
to speaking up. Now we've tried to, we've been labeled
bigots and TERFs and every other thing under the sun,
including Nazis. We haven't had this conversation. So you know,

(02:45):
this legislation is all being all about getting back to
some common sense.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
Right, what are some of the current issues with women
in sport at the moment.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
So we have males participating in women's and girls' sport
from while we're aware from intermediate level and above what's
happening as women are either self excluding, which is appalling
because we already have such a dramatic drop off rate
of females participation in sports through their teenage years. We're
seeing it in club sports and community sorts across the board.

(03:14):
You know, if this was really just about allowing everyone
to participate, there are mixed sex teams in nearly every
sport available in most communities, and so anyone can participate
in that. But what we're seeing is male advantage in
female sport, and when you include that, it excludes women.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
Mett's members, Bill Rowe, do you think you know there's
a chance that this will never be heard.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Well, I hope it will be, and I hope if
it's told from the ballot that National and Act will
support it, given by far the majority of their voters
according to our polling. Do but mind you Soda, Labor
and Green voters. So this is the irony. It's not
a left versus right issue, despite what the politicians say.
This is a right versus wrong issue, as by far

(03:58):
the majority of New Zealand is every political persuasion know
that males competing in female sport is wrong, Males and
female changing rooms is wrong. We just need to get
back to some common sense and make sure that we
create spaces where everyone feels welcome and comfortable ro.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
Each Thanks so much for your time this morning. For
more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to
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