Are the Gene Technology Bill appointments 'Just Window Dressing'?

At their recent hui in Palmerston North, New Zealand First said that the Gene Technology Bill in its current form has gone far beyond the safety protections envisaged and they didn’t want to destabilise the organics businesses and the wider agricultural sector.[1]

"This is a pleasing position that NZ First has taken and shows that they are listening to the public concerns.” said Claire Bleakley, president of GE Free NZ.

The Gene Technology Bill has extensive exemptions on selected GE organisms. The Bill gives extreme powers to the Regulator and Minister for exemptions; there are currently no precautionary principles, or Treaty obligations in place; no liability redress for GE developers and users who have caused GE contamination; no containment of GE pollen and seed, would be impossible to control due to wind, floods, insects, birds and other factors; there is no labelling, or traceability and a total loss of food sovereignty on exempted GE plants. This means, farmers, growers and the public would lose the ability to stay GE Free.

"We already have the perfect GE legislation for regulation of laboratory and field work up to release in the existing HSNO Act," said Elvira Dommisse, former Crop and Food scientist, "Keeping the terminology, precautionary principles and purposes and making small amendments to the GE laboratory rules in the HSNO Act, would ensure safety to human health and the environment.”[2]

To this end, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has introduced some immediate amendments to address public concerns. They have been tasked with setting up a new sector committee. GE Free NZ has had confirmation that representatives from Organic Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ) have been appointed.

It is likely that this is in response to the many submitters who questioned MBIE's sole reliance, when drafting the Bill, on the advice,and the conflicts of interest of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The TAC membership is made up of 14 strongly pro-GE advocates.[3]

"It is too late to involve affected parties by tinkering around the edges of the defective Gene Technology Bill. If this is the only incentive used to reassure NZ First to support this flawed and dangerous Gene Technology Bill. Then the very purposes of protection and management to the health and safety of people and the environment will fail at the first hurdle,"said Bleakley, "The Gene Technology Bill has to be stopped.

https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/scl/petitions/

*HSNO - Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 [3]

References:

[1] https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/07/nz-first-to-block-gene-tech-bill-unless-national-makes-changes/

[2] https://www.mbie.govt.nz/science-and-technology/science-and-innovation/agencies-policies-and-budget-initiatives/gene-technology-regulation

[3]HSNO Act  https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1996/0030/latest/DLM381222.html