Why GM moratorium needs to come to an end

Imagine a world where a teenager suffering from “incurable” cancer is cured. Some countries no longer have to imagine that, thanks to genetic modification (GM) – and the Government is urging New Zealanders to get on board and embrace this amazing, safe technology.

National’s Harnessing Biotech plan outlines the path to ending the moratorium on GM, and that plan is part of our coalition agreement. As Minister for Science, Innovation & Technology, I am deeply committed to furthering this work, and I want to assure New Zealanders of the benefits this will bring and to emphasise the public-focused approach we are taking.

The mechanisms for using GM have changed dramatically in the past 20 years. With the introduction of Crispr technology, a single gene can now be edited, rather than having to introduce entirely new genes for therapy. This helps make modern gene technology safer and more effective.

GM has immense potential that can benefit New Zealanders while also helping us deal with the major challenges we face, from tackling climate change to improving human health, boosting agricultural productivity, and safeguarding water quality and our natural environment.

This technology can quite literally change lives; in 2022, a 13-year-old girl in the UK was cured of cancer previously thought to be incurable via base editing – a form of GM.

New Zealand’s own Malaghan Institute has been working on GM, utilising CAR-T cell therapy to treat cancer in a trial run which resulted in half the participants experiencing a complete elimination of cancer within three months.

It has also been proven to combat major issues facing the primary sector, including the ability to reduce the presence of wilding pines, lower livestock emissions by up to 30% and increase the yield of horticultural products.

The potential benefits are enormous, but currently New Zealand is being left behind when it comes to GM. That’s because restrictive rules drafted in the 1990s have made research outside the lab all but impossible in this country.

Countries such as Australia, Japan and the UK have safely embraced gene technologies, and the EU is liberalising its rules, but New Zealand lags behind.

Not only does this slow our ability to benefit from this technology, but it also causes our country to lose out on significant economic opportunities.

I want New Zealand to take advantage of its amazing research and science. However, without a regulator there is no hope to do this in a safe and timely manner. This Government intends to introduce new legislation to allow for greater use of GM, under the umbrella of a biotech regulator that ensures strong protections for human health and the environment while allowing the chance to benefit from biotechnology.

An effective regulator, along with the right settings for researchers and organisations, will help build the industry while also assuring world-class standards and managing ethical concerns.

This legislation will go through extensive consultation and will include the opportunity for the public to give their views. It is of the utmost importance to me that the public has the chance to have their say.

Work is well under way, and this Government is excited to present this work to New Zealanders and to get this country back on track.