It has been a long time coming:  the Government today announced legislation will be introduced to Parliament by the end of the year to end the ban on gene technology outside the laboratory and implement a dedicated regulator to oversee applications to use the technology.

The lifting of the ban which New Zealand has imposed for almost 30 years “will bring health, productivity and climate gains for New Zealanders,” Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins said.

The strict regulations which govern these technologies were imposed in the late ’90s and early 2000s amid widespread public concern about genetic modification.

But huge advances have been made in the science since then and the NZIAHS has been among the organisations and scientists supporting a call for a rethink.

The new legislation will be based on Australia’s Gene Technology Act 2000 and modified to work here in New Zealand. Like Australia, a regulator will be established to enable the science while managing potential risks to human health and the environment.

According to RNZ, Labour and the Greens are urging caution over the government’s plan but have not ruled out ultimately supporting the move.

RNZ recalled that when in power, Labour’s Chris Hipkins ordered a review of the legislation governing genetic technologies but stopped short of making changes.

Labour’s technology spokesperson Deborah Russell said the party remained cautious but would withhold judgement until it had seen the proposed law.

“We need to make sure New Zealanders are actually on board with this … a whole lot of education needs to be done first.”

Ms Russell said the country had a strong brand in being “GMO-free” and should think carefully before abandoning that.

Green Party biotech spokesperson Steve Abel said he wanted to see much more detail and discussion before offering his support to the overhaul.

“We have a strong regulatory framework now … we’d be concerned if it became a laissez-faire regime, it’d risk our current GE-free advantage.”

Mr Abel said the party supported a “precautionary and evidence-based” approach to gene technology and was worried the government was overstating the benefits of change.

“We’ve seen overseas where there’s large-scale use of GE crops, such as in the United States, some significant downsides – a big increase in herbicide use, for example, with the Monsanto-developed Roundup Ready crops – and that doesn’t benefit the public.”

Asked whether the Greens could be convinced to back the legislation, Abel said there first needed to be a “wide-ranging and robust public discussion”.

“We’re here for that conversation.”

Judith Collins had challenged the opposition parties to offer bipartisan support to the change, RNZ reported.

“We’re going through a full select committee process to iron out any issues that people have. I hope that they will get on board,” Collins said.

“After all, they’ve told us for many years that we should trust the science – and I do.”

The New Zealand Herald’s report said the new regulator will use a “hybrid approach”, meaning specific gene technologies can be exempted from regulations.

An activity will be exempted because it either involves minimal risks or it cannot be distinguished from those achievable by conventional breeding techniques.

In her press statement, Judith Collins said of the new legislation:

“This is a major milestone in modernising gene technology laws to enable us to improve health outcomes, adapt to climate change, deliver massive economic gains and improve the lives of New Zealanders.

“New Zealand has lagged behind countries, including Australia, England, Canada and many European nations in allowing the use of this technology for the benefit of their people, and their economies.

“New Zealand’s biotech sector, of which gene technology is a part, generated $2.7 billion in revenue in 2020.

“The changes we’re announcing today will allow researchers and companies to further develop and commercialise their innovative products. Importantly it will help New Zealanders to better access treatments such as CAR T-cell therapy, which has been clinically proven to effectively treat some cancers. It can also help our farmers and growers mitigate emissions and increase productivity, all of which benefits our economy,” Ms Collins says.

Restrictive rules and time-consuming processes had made research outside the lab almost impossible, resulting in New Zealand falling behind, the Minister said.

“These changes will bring New Zealand up to global best practice and ensure we can capitalise on the benefits.”

The Government is aiming to have the legislation passed and the regulator in operation by the end of 2025, Ms Collins says.

The MBIE website (mbie.govt.nz) has been updated with information for the public, including this simple explainer video: https://youtu.be/I_O9DGT_jy4