Bay of Plenty abortion numbers are dropping as nationwide rates hit a 20-year low.
Latest figures from Statistics New Zealand show 726 abortions were performed in the Bay of Plenty last year, down from 773 in 2012 and 821 in 2011.
Nationwide abortion rates for 2013 were the lowest in 20 years.
In total 14,073 induced abortions were performed last year, down from 14,745 in 2012 and 15,863 in 2011.
Family Planning says more access to reliable, accessible contraceptives is behind an international drop in abortion numbers.
Bay of Plenty District Health Board Sexual Health Clinic Lorna Claydon said any reduction in the abortion rate could have a number of factors behind it. These included improved access to, and awareness of, suitable long-acting contraception like implants and IUDs amongst those most at risk of unplanned pregnancy.
However, she added there had not been a marked reduction in women seeking abortion-related advice and assistance at Clinic 2 - Tauranga Sexual Health Service.
BOPDHB did not perform abortions, and did not hold a license to do so, she said.
There were two licensed providers, Waikato DHB and NZ Family Planning Association. Women were referred to those services by GPs or specialists.
The number of Bay patients opting for condom prescriptions declined from 4700 to 3800 over the past five financial years, according to Pharmac figures on subsidised contraceptives.
Long-acting implants such as the Jadelle implant, inserted into the upper arm, have become popular with patients since they were subsidised in 2010, although patient numbers dropped from 500 at the end of the 2011 financial year to 400 last year.
Nationally, the general abortion rate (abortions per 1000 women aged 15-44) decreased from 16.1 in 2012 to 15.4 last year, the lowest since 1994, when it was 15.3, Statistics NZ said.
Abortion Law Reform Association New Zealand president Morgan Healey said there was no clear reason for the drop. But anecdotally, increased access to long-term contraception appeared to be a contributing factor.
A main barrier to having an abortion was that it was still in the Crimes Act, Dr Healey believed.
Family First NZ director Bob McCoskrie said the abortion rate would continue to drop as knowledge of the prenatal development of the unborn child increased, and as an increasingly pro-life younger generation become parents.
He said the Bay of Plenty had the benefit of the new pregnancy choice centre run by Janice Tetley-Jones.
Family First NZ spokesperson Marina Young believed the drop was a result of increased education and access to more information.
"I think a lot of people have been more informed. There's a lot more out there on the internet about the early development.
"Abortion is still very much a taboo subject but it's back in the limelight which is good."
The Green Party earlier this month announced it wanted to make abortion freely available to women up to 20 weeks' pregnant. APNZ