The government is ending a nearly 30-year ban on using gene technology outside the laboratory.
Legislation, based on Australia’s Gene Technology Act 2000, will be introduced by the end of this year ending the ban and implementing a dedicated regulator to oversee applications to use gene technology.
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins described the move as modernising gene technology laws, which will benefit health, climate change adaption and deliver economic gains and improve the lives of New Zealanders.
“NZ 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,” she said.
The biotech sector, which gene technology is part of, generated $2.7 billion in revenue in 2020, and Collins said these changes will allow researchers and companies to further develop and commercialise 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,” Collins said.
“Restrictive rules and time-consuming processes have made research outside the lab almost impossible, resulting in NZ falling behind.
“These changes will bring NZ up to global best practice and ensure we can capitalise on the benefits.”
AgResearch has used gene technology to develop several high-performing pasture cultivars that in lab trials were shown to be drought tolerant, productive and reduce methane emissions by around 15%.
But the law as it now stands has made it prohibitive to conduct field trials, which the science company had to run in the United States and Australia.
The policy change was part of the coalition government’s agreement and Dr Parmjeet Parmar, ACT’s science, innovation and technology spokesperson, said it brings NZ into the 21st century.
“The delivery of this coalition commitment means our brightest scientific minds will be freer to make advancements that will lift human flourishing, improve environmental outcomes, and create major commercial opportunities.
“Current restrictions on gene technology have led to absurd outcomes.
“In one case local scientists developed a red-fleshed apple but weren’t allowed to taste test that apple in NZ. They had to taste it in the US instead.”
Scientists and the biotechnology sector have welcomed news the government is re-writing regulations on the use of gene technology, saying NZ is being left behind globally by outdated rules.
BioTechNZ executive director Dr Zahra Champion said the government’s decision will boost gene technology industries while ensuring protection for human health and the environment.
“Current regulations for genetic technologies are outdated and not fit for purpose.
“For years they have been hampering companies and researchers from keeping pace with scientific advancements and have been stifling innovation.”
She said it will enable gene technology to assist confronting challenges in agriculture, healthcare, and environmental sustainability.
AgResearch science team leader Richard Scott welcomed the move after decades of inaction which he said failed to recognise gene technologies are now more precise and safer than they have ever been.
“The approach proposed for NZ, which excludes ‘low-risk and well-understood gene technologies’ from regulation, is sensible.
“We know that certain changes made by gene editing, for example, are virtually indistinguishable from changes that can occur naturally or through conventional breeding of organisms.”
Establishing a gene technology regulator similar to Australia’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator will ensure the health of people and the environment, he said.
It is also critical that New Zealanders have confidence that any proposed changes that might affect their environment or food supply are subject to the appropriate level of scrutiny, and that communities feel heard on these issues.
Scott said it takes years to trial, test and refine a technology and he does not expect a flood of new products to be proposed for release.
Plant and Food Research chief scientist Richard Newcomb said the new regulations will allow scientists to develop new plant varieties and help the agrifood sector to adapt to challenges such as climate change while remaining globally competitive.
“Regulations around gene technologies, particularly with the advent of high precision technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9, are changing around the world,” he said.
Researchers and food producers overseas are using these new technologies to develop foods that will directly compete with those from NZ and may have more of the characteristics that consumers want.
NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller said to get the desired outcome from these regulatory changes, the government also needs to consider how to stimulate a biotech sector to commercialise and scale up.
“There is no point allowing the use of technologies that can cure cancer and help address climate issues if there is no investment in the ecosystem to support the transition of science to products.”
