Fertility specialists have released a new toolkit - Fertility Counts - which is intended to help the government create polices that will help increase fertility rates in Aotearoa.
The announcement was made at a conference held recently by Asia-Pacific fertility group Aspire.
This follows recent figures released by Stats NZ, which showed the lowest annual natural increase since World War II.
There were 19,071 more births than deaths. That compared to 1943 when there were 17,562 more births more than deaths.
Stats NZ's population insights analyst Rebekah Hennessey said 2023 had seen the "lowest number of births registered in 20 years".
"We're now at a level of ultra low fertility, that's what we're defined as," Professor Neil Johnson from Auckland Gynaecology Group told 1News.
"[It] is gonna be threatening to our ability to function in the way that we have."
With an ageing population and a decline in birth rates there has been discussions around sustainability for future generations.
"Of course there are many knock-on effects potentially from having insufficient numbers who are working and able to support those who are not yet old enough to work, but an increasing population of those who are no longer working."
The world's population is growing due to increased life expectancy, in spite of declining fertility rates.
Specialists are wanting to start a discussion about the risks to society and the economy if fertility rates continue to drop, such as people being unable to retire early or a large cohort of older people and less younger people to support them.
"The rollout of Fertility Counts Aotearoa is important, [it will] really allow the policymakers to hear this conversation, but also to participate in the conversation."
Professor Johnson said policies need to be broad-ranging.
"Improvements in childcare affordability and availability, they relate to workplace flexibility, they address financial issues and financial incentives for potential parents to have children."
For a single mum like Olivia Bellini having to juggle life, work, family and finance can be hard.
Bellini would like to see more policies that provide flexibility, accessibility and support around working parents.
"I understand that is not always feasible."
"I'm quite lucky, I have working from home arrangements and my colleagues are all very understanding."
"If there was more leave available it would make it less stressful and feel less like you are letting people down at work."
This toolkit doesn't only look at the socioeconomic factors but provides ideas and opens discussions around subsidised fertility care in New Zealand.
"So, I have endometriosis and my mum also had endometriosis. So I knew potentially I could have issues having children."
Bellini got in touch with her specialist and found out when she was around 32 that she may find it difficult falling pregnant.
"I had a choice to make, either find somebody and put a lot of pressure onto a relationship very quickly, which I was not comfortable doing."
Bellini decided to do it on her own, after two years of waiting she was finally at the top of the sperm donor list.
However, due to her ovarian egg quality and count being low a range of procedures tried were unsuccessful.
Bellini looked for an alternative way, that's when she found herself a egg donor similar to her younger self.
"We did one transfer with her eggs and my donors sperm, and he (August) is the product."
Bellini said the experience was incredible and a bit unexpected.
"I honestly didn't expect anyone to donate to me, cause as a single person a lot of people have a preconceived ideas of what families look like."
Many people wanting to start a family in Aotearoa have been met with challenges.
"We are struggling as a gay marriage couple, but there are some people in opposite sex couples that are also struggling as well and none of us are getting the support we need," Tiffany Sargent told 1News.
Sargent has both endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), conditions that both can affect fertility.
"I've always wanted to be a mum, ever since I was little."
However, due to these conditions Sargent is considered a high risk pregnancy.
"I want to have that feeling of growing a baby and it's just getting harder and harder to achieve that goal."
She felt at times there was a lack of support for those deemed high-risk, including those with higher weight.
"I've been to one doctor who has been fighting for me to get the funding through IVF but it's the fertility clinics that don't want a bar of it and it's not fair."
The proposed toolkit would recommend policies to help families and people with fertility issues get more accessibly care.
"Yes, there is funding in New Zealand for IVF but there is a massive criteria and half of us don't match that."
She said it was important politicians were on board with achieving fertility goals.
How the country would support an ageing population was also of concern to Sargent.
"I understand that the old people need that help but we can't help them if we don't have our own kids as well."
Although the ageing population may not affect Aotearoa's current way of life, specialists have concerns that in years to come we will see the impact of our dropping fertility rates.
What is in Fertility Counts:
The toolkit will look at four major factors.
- Work Place policies: which will help improve maternity leave, paternity leave, flexible working arrangements and introduce unpaid job-protected leave.
- Childcare: which would look at increasing childcare availability and subsiding childcare cost.
- Financial Incentives: which would look at introducing a baby bonus, offering tax incentives and offering monthly cash transfers per child.
- Assisted reproduction: which would look at improving public funding of IVF, offering infertility insurance mandates and increase the availability of IVF services in Aotearoa.
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