Across the country, people are advocating for schools to have gender-neutral bathrooms to give students options if they don't want to use a single-sex bathroom.
InsideOUT managing director Tabby Besley and school student Aoife Moss spoke with AM on Tuesday and said they want schools to have the option of gender-neutral bathrooms, so the students can feel comfortable.
InsideOUT's Tabby Besley said in 2020, the Labour Government promised they would help provide gender-neutral bathrooms as part of their rainbow policies, but they haven't.
"They have supported guidance that schools should be doing this but unfortunately they haven't come through with the funding for it."
Besley told AM she has been talking to school leaders and staff and said they can't build the bathrooms, due to the lack of funding.
"A guideline isn't any use without funding to back and put it into practice," Besley told AM.
Besley wants people to know that they don't want to replace single-sex bathrooms altogether, just want options for those that want to use a unisex bathroom.
"We're not advocating for every bathroom to be gender-neutral. It's just about making sure there is a few options for each school."
School student Aoife Moss said the bathrooms they are wanting are not the traditional cubicle style, it will be one where people can't all meet up and congregate.
"Congregation isn't going to be an issue because it is a single toilet with a sink, four full-height walls and a door."
Besley told AM the Minister of Education Chris Hipkins said schools will have to take funding for the gender-neutral bathrooms out of their already existing budget for building things within schools.
