New Zealand Blood Service to change sexual activity screening for all donors

New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) has today announced it will introduce changes to its sexual activity screening rules on 4 May 2026.

This means all blood and plasma donors in Aotearoa New Zealand will be asked the same questions about recent sexual partners. The changes apply to all donors and are designed to strengthen fairness and consistency while ensuring New Zealand continues to have one of the safest blood supplies in the world. 

From Monday 4 May 2026, all donors will be asked:

• - Whether they have had new or multiple sexual partners in the past three months.
• - If yes, whether they have had anal sex with those partners. 

If a donor has had anal sex with new or multiple partners, they will be required to wait three months before donating.  If they have not had anal sex with new or multiple partners, and meet all other eligibility criteria, they can donate. 

Donors will also be asked whether they have had gonorrhoea or any other sexually transmitted infection in the past three months. If so, they must wait three months after completing treatment and recovery before donating. 

NZBS says the change marks a shift away from population-based screening – which defers men who have had oral or anal sex with another man in the past three months – to a more consistent, behaviour-based approach for all blood and plasma donors. 

As all donors will be asked the same questions about recent sexual activity, eligibility will be assessed in the same way for everyone, and some people will see a change in whether they can donate. This means some heterosexual donors may be deferred under the new approach, while others who are not currently eligible – such as gay, bisexual, takatāpui and other men who have sex with men in long-term, single-partner relationships – may become eligible to donate. 

Dr Sarah Morley, Chief Medical Officer at New Zealand Blood Service, says the change aligns New Zealand with international best practice while continuing to protect patients who rely on blood products. 

“This is a landmark decision, and one the service has been working towards for many years alongside community partners and patient groups,” Dr Morley says. 

“Safety will always be our priority. These changes allow us to assess everyone’s eligibility in the same way, based on individual behaviour, while ensuring we continue to have one of the safest blood supplies in the world. The evidence is clear: this new approach can be safely introduced and will enable a fairer and more accurate assessment of all donors.” 

“While this is a significant step forward, it’s not the final stage. There is more work to do as we continue exploring opportunities to enable more people to become plasma donors in the future. 

“International developments and emerging evidence will continue to be monitored, including Australia’s ‘plasma pathway’, which has enabled a wider group of donors to donate plasma, including people who use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).  

"Any future changes in New Zealand would be carefully considered, with patient safety remaining the priority.”