Sex Education in Primary Schools?

Abstract

The introduction of sex education into primary schools in New Zealand was a controversial and contested issue throughout the 1960s and 1970s. This article explores key documents and legislation produced during the period. It is argued that the controversy surrounding sex education for primary students resulted in the implementation in the 1980s of a largely fact-based curriculum, focusing on the biological process of pubertal change rather than social and emotional issues surrounding sexuality. The implementation of the 1999 curriculum document Health and Physical Education in the New Zealand Curriculum is also briefly discussed.