Period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual products which contributes to low school attendance and sanitary concerns for those who are unable to afford safe sanitary products. Tampons, pads and all other sanitary products are considered a luxury good rather than a necessity, for something that all women are unable to prevent, and is an unavoidable cost. Many women or girls who are considered part of a low-income family are unable to purchase sanitary products and are having to go without them or are substituting for unsanitary products, such as rags and old newspapers, which may lead to serious health problems. In a woman's lifetime, they are having to spend on average $15,000 on sanitary products alone. Our petition has aimed to influence the removal of the 15% GST tax rate off sanitary products in an attempt to reduce period poverty in New Zealand, to ensure that sanitary products are more affordable and accessible to all and the financial strain on low-income families is reduced.