This petition is in response to the new WCC Councillors endorsing the previous Council’s Rainbow Action Plan, and, in doing so, making new and refurbished changing rooms and toilets into “all gender” facilities.

• We call on the WCC to retain and/or reinstate public single-sex changing rooms and toilets throughout their Wellington public facilities.
• We call on the WCC abandon their policies making public changing rooms and toilets “all gender” (see Reference 1).
• In addition, where appropriate, we call on the WCC to provide “universal changing rooms” (see Reference 2).
• In doing the above, we recommend that WCC give their front-line staff training so the integrity and safety of these spaces is maintained and their messaging on the use of them is consistent.
• Leaving no room for misinterpretation and for consistency, we recommend that WCC review, clarify and make public their policies for changing rooms and toilets based on research and risk assessments. Currently, their policies appear to be contradictory and do not reflect the advice given by Sport NZ. (See References 1, 5, and 6.)

Where “all gender” facilities have been installed in the UK, evidence shows 90% of reported sex attacks occurred in them—10% occurred in single-sex facilities (see Reference 3). With 98% of sexual violence towards females being committed by males, “all gender” facilities are unsafe for women and girls. Many females self-exclude from participating in our communities because of such council planning decisions. A very recent poll in the UK shows that most people prefer straightforward single-sex facilities in workplaces and public spaces (see Reference 7).

Public single-sex facilities uphold everyone’s privacy, dignity, and safety. Propriety demands that there is only one interpretation—their use is based on sex at birth. Like other health and safety regulations, when their rules of use are correctly complied with, there is no indirect discrimination of one group over another. With the additional provision of “universal changing rooms”, other specific needs are upheld (see Reference 2).

In NZ, it is lawful to positively discriminate in favour of women and girls and to determine sex by biological indicators which cannot be changed or identified out of (see Reference 4).

1) Rainbow Action Plan 2025-2027

2) Changing Rooms for Everyone

3) How Leisure Centres Enable Sexual Predators
Gang hid in pool changing rooms to film 5,000 young women undressing

4) Sex Self-ID Resources & Information

5) WCC Policy “Accessible and Family Change Areas” (November 2025)

6) Child safeguarding policies and procedures
In particular, see Policy 10 from page 61, ‘Safe use of Changing Facilities Policy’.

7) Most people prefer single-sex toilets and changing rooms