Sterilisation

Surgical sterilisation is virtually permanent and is only for people who are dissatisfied with other methods of contraception and are fully convinced that they will have no future desire for children.

For a man, it is a minor operation, but for a woman it's more involved. Sterilisation does not reduce desire — in the man the only difference is that the semen does not contain sperm. In women, menstruation continues but no egg passes into the fallopian tubes.

Though not illegal in New Zealand, sterilisation is not carried out as a normal procedure in general hospitals. In private hospitals, the cost ranges from $60-$ 100.