There's horror from school guidance counsellors at a suggestion all New Zealand teenage girls should be given long-acting reversible contraception.

Tim's Take: Contraception plan flawed

Otago University health researchers are making the case for an opt-out scheme, to help bring down New Zealand's high teen pregnancy rates.

They want contraception for girls before they become sexually active.

Sarah Maindonald from the New Zealand Association of Counsellors is concerned about the message it could send.

"I think often it's hard enough for young women to say no to sexual advances but if a lot of young men know that they're already on contraception, I wonder how that will be for them to actually say no," Maindonald said.

Maindonald believes the scheme could create peer pressure, which she saw with the cervical cancer vaccine programme rolled out in schools.

"Even though that might be a very good vaccine, I don't think there's some ethical concerns around the pressure that puts on young people to make the decision to have that vaccine because all their mates are having it at the same time."

Maindonald would like to see more resources directed at education, to bring down teen pregnancy rates.