Puberty is the time when you start to change from a child/tamariki to a young adult/rangatahi.

When a person goes through puberty, they will experience changes to their physical body. These changes are caused by chemicals the body produces, called hormones. These hormones tell the body to grow and change in a lot of ways.

Most people who have a penis start to experience erections and ejaculation during puberty. Other changes can include:

• Becoming taller, heavier and stronger
• Growing thick hair in new places (e.g. on the face, legs, chest, around the genitals and under the arms)
• Stretch marks
• An increase in sweating
• Acne
• Mood changes
• Voice getting deeper

Puberty doesn’t happen all at once. These changes to the body can take place over several years. If you are born male, you will experience puberty somewhere between 10 and 15 years. For many, the first changes start to happen when they are around 11 or 12 years old.