Media Release 6 January 2025
Right to Life is committed to protecting the life and health of every person in our community by defending their human rights enshrined in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990: “Every person has the right not to be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation without that person’s consent.” The Gene Technology Bill threatens that fundamental human right.
The government introduced this bill in December which is being fast tracked with public consultation and debate being suppressed. The bill was passed on 17 December by 68 to 55.
The bill was supported by National, ACT and NZ First and opposed by Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party. The bill was sent to the Health Select Committee to receive submissions by 17th February. The committee is required to report back to Parliament on the bill by 16 June 2025.
Right to Life is alarmed that there appears to be a lack of appreciation among many Members of Parliament of the very real danger of experimenting with gene technology and accepting genetically modified organisms; this was evident in speeches at the first reading.
Right to Life is disappointed at the silence of the media in challenging this contentious bill.
“Every person has the right not to be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation without that person’s consent.”
New Zealand has enjoyed nearly thirty years of legislative protection from genetic modification, which will be jeopardised with the passing of this bill.
The Gene Technology Bill introduced to Parliament this week includes the following provisions:—
• Provides for mandatory imposition of vaccines which violates the New Zealand Bill of Rights. We should not forget that when the government imposed mandatory vaccination during the Covid 19 pandemic that an estimated 4,000 New Zealanders lost their jobs because they refused to be vaccinated.
• Genetically altered foods have a novel genetic structure. Without proper labelling, their introduction becomes an uncontrolled experiment, without any means to ascertain the effect on consumers’ health. Labelling allows citizens to choose what medical treatments they wish to accept.
• Mandatory medical activity authorisations: for a human medicine that is or contains gene technology that has been approved by at least two recognised overseas gene technology regulators.
• Indemnification of the manufacturer of genetically modified foods from any legal action taken against them by consumers of this food who may suffer ill health or damages from consumption. This means that no lawsuits can be made against producers of these novel genetically altered foods.
• Emergency authorisations: when there is an actual or imminent threat to the health and safety of people or to the environment. For example, threat from a disease outbreak or an industrial spillage. The Minister responsible for the Gene Technology Act (the Minister) will have the power to grant an emergency authorisation.
Right to Life encourages members and supporters to:
• Inform others (talking to friends, colleagues, writing to newspapers, blogs, talk-back radio).
• Make submissions to the Health Select Committee. Here is the link for submissions:
• Contact their MPs to express your opposition to the bill.
Ken Orr,
Spokesperson,
Right to Life New Zealand Inc.