Jan Tinetti Labour MP

Imagine not being able to go to school because you don't have good protection when you have your period.

For many girls and young women here in Tauranga and throughout New Zealand this was a reality. They missed days from school every month. That's why I am so proud of the Labour Government's free period products in schools initiative, which hit an important milestone recently with more than one million period product packs delivered to schools.

Every school day is a big day and young people should not be missing out on time learning in the classroom or other events and opportunities because they aren't comfortable going to school.

Providing free period products is one way the Government is supporting girls and families with cost of living pressures and improving school attendance. The initiative now involves 2126 primary, intermediate, kura and secondary schools nationwide. This includes 417 schools throughout the Waikato and Bay of Plenty. To date more than 213,000 students have had access to free period products.

The Ministry of Education is also developing a series of resources to support young people to learn about menstruation and help reduce the stigma around it. Even today, periods aren't discussed openly, and can make young people in particular feel stressed and insecure. So, the programme has an educational element to help young people understand and embrace their bodies and feel good about themselves.