To accommodate one pupil, an Auckland school has provided a unisex toilet for a transgender girl.

A primary school in Auckland has provided a unisex toilet for a six-year-old transgender girl.

The toilet was installed earlier in 2016 with support from the Ministry of Education and the board of trustees, NZME reported.

The school has not been named.

LAWRENCE SMITH Pupils playing at a primary school, in a file photo. One Auckland primary has introduced a unisex toilet for a six-year-old girl.

Unisex toilets are being increasingly provided by schools in New Zealand.

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123rf supplied Increasingly, unisex toilets are being built in New Zealand schools.

Parents of pupils at the Auckland school and classmates have been supportive and accepted the move from boy to girl, it is reported.

Transitioning while at school generally refers to a social transition rather than gender reassignment therapies or surgery.

It is unlawful for schools in New Zealand to discriminate against sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.

New Zealand Principals' Federation national president Iain Taylor said he was made aware of the Auckland case and schools had a mandate to prioritise safety for students.

"The first priority is for a school to make sure a pupil feels happy.

"It's not something we've been discussing. Obviously if there are a myriad of primary school children coming out as transgender then that's a conversation we have to have at more depth.

"A school reflects society and a child is going to feel safer by not having to go into [a particular bathroom]."

Regarding the Auckland primary, he was not aware of the details but he expected there was considerable discussion behind the scenes.

Tranzaction is a new lobby group for the trans community.

Christchurch-based spokesperson Lynda Whitehead said the Auckland school's approach was sensible and it was positive trans issues were coming to the fore in New Zealand.

"There are more and more younger people identifying with gender issues.

"The transition part of it is really the second stage of what is happening.

"You have a young person who has a gender identity problem. There's no set age on this. All they are doing [in the case of a primary school pupil] is dressing in accordance with their gender identity. They wouldn't be comfortable wearing boys' clothes."

A board chairman, who was not named, told NZME the decision was about supporting a pupil.

"We have a policy of safety around identity and culture, and that includes gender. We feel strongly that every child deserves to feel safe in the school environment.

"I'm proud to be part of a school that says 'it's okay to be who you are and we are going to make sure you get the best education, without worrying about anything else'."

​​Transitioning, according to the Human Rights Commission, refers to the steps people take to live in their appropriate gender identity.

"Some steps are medical, such as hormone therapy or a range of surgeries.

"There is no single way of transitioning and some students may delay any 'medical transition' until they leave school. However, they may still 'socially transition' by dressing and living in their preferred gender."

The commission, in 2008, published a study of transgender Kiwis in a world-first by a human rights organisation.

In its guidelines, the commission said trans students should be able to socially or medically transition at school.

"Choosing if, and when, to transition is a decision a trans young person makes, with support from family and health professionals. It is the school's role to enable trans students to have the same right to education as other students. Trans youth often see a counsellor or psychotherapist, particularly if they are considering medical transition."

Some trans youths may take hormone treatments prescribed by a specialists.

A 2013 study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, which surveyed thousands of Kiwi students, reported 1.2 per cent of school-age respondents identified as transgender.

The Ministry of Health says gender may be expressed in different ways in children from an early age.

"Gender expression is more external and may include preference to dress in ways that are more typical of the 'opposite' sex. This is common amongst many non-trans children too.

"Creating an environment where such diversity can be expressed creates a positive foundation for a child, whatever their decision later in life."

Some children who express gender "variance" go on to identify as trans adults, but many do not, the ministry says.

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