Copy of Ministry of Health unhappy with the terms "Assisted Suicide" and "Euthanasia" - Response letter

Ruihua Gu,

Group Manager,

Quality Assurance and Safety

Regulatory Services

Dear Ruihua,

Thank you for your response of 11 May 2026 to my Official Information Act request of 13 April 2026.

I am concerned that you consider my use of the terms 'assisted suicide' and 'euthanasia' inappropriate and potentially vexatious, as you believe that we do not have assisted suicide and euthanasia in New Zealand. It is your belief that we only have assisted dying.

The End of Life Choice Act 2019 provides assisted suicide and euthanasia under the euphemistic term 'assisted dying'. As the Act contains no legal prohibition of the terms 'assisted suicide' and 'euthanasia', my society intends to continue to use these widely accepted terms. 

Are you aware of the widely held perception locally and internationally that legislation in New Zealand permits assisted suicide and euthanasia? 

The World Health Organisation advises on its website that New Zealand has legislation that permits assisted suicide and euthanasia.

A search using the latest AI tools asking about this issue states:

Yes, New Zealand permits both assisted suicide and euthanasia under the End of Life Choice Act 2019, which came into full effect on 7 November 2021.The legislation uses the umbrella term "assisted dying" to cover two legal methods for eligible individuals: Assisted Suicide: The patient self-administers the lethal medication. Euthanasia: A doctor or nurse practitioner administers the medication to the patient.

Different terms are used to describe assisted dying. The most common include physician-assisted suicide, physician-assisted dying, medically assisted dying, aid in dying, death with dignity, euthanasia, and voluntary euthanasia. A distinction is commonly made between assisted suicide as “providing another with the knowledge or means to intentionally end his or her own life" and euthanasia as a “deliberate action undertaken by one person with the intention of ending the life of another person to relieve that person’s suffering where that act is the cause of death”. [2]  Although this is a common distinction, it is not universally employed.

Yours sincerely,

Ken Orr,

Secretary,

Right to Life New Zealand Inc.