GE Free Northland thanks the councils of Northern Peninsula for taking action to oppose undemocratic and extreme proposals in the controversial Gene Technology Bill.

Northland Regional Council, Whangarei District Council, Far North District Council, Auckland Council, as well as Hastings District Council have made a commitment to farmers and other ratepayers to oppose the Bill in its current form.

Regional and district plans reflect the values and priorities of these communities. In Northland and Auckland, the current regulatory regime governing GMOs is the result of many years of community engagement and fiscally responsible collaboration across district and regional councils (since at least 2001).

Northland and Auckland Region, along with the Hastings District, are established GE Free food producing zones that provide protection from outdoor GE/GMO experimentation including field trials.

The proposals to strip local councils of their authority and jurisdiction regarding GMO activities outlined in clauses 248 to 253 of the Gene Technology Bill* (1) are the latest attempt by the National-led government to destroy existing enforceable GE Free Zones.

There is strong opposition from these councils to the parts of the current Gene Technology Bill that would remove existing district and regional regulations, and significantly reduce local participation in decision-making around outdoor GMOs. Clauses in the Bill seek to undermine many years of collaborative work done by Northland and Auckland's local authorities, to bring about a cohesive plan that represents the values of their communities and ensures truly sustainable integrated management to protect finite resources and biosecurity.

Whangarei District Council (WDC) Deputy Mayor and retired farmer Phil Halse strongly supports WDC's submission, which opposes the undemocratic Gene Technology Bill.

Clr Halse stressed that "we need to protect the strong precautionary and prohibitive GE/ GMO provisions in the Northland and Auckland Council operative plans, put in place to protect our biosecurity, farmers and other ratepayers. We've done the work in a collaborative and fiscally responsible manner, in keeping with the wishes of our ratepayers".*(2)

"We don't want people coming into our district or wider region to experiment with GMOs, buggering off when there are unintended adverse impacts or GMO contamination, and leaving us to clean up the mess."

"We are in the business of producing safe and clean, nourishing food of the highest quality- an exporting nation of food. We need to retain access to key markets and premiums, capitalise on our point of difference, what we're good at- and that means GE/GMO free. The extreme deregulation and undemocratic proposals in the Gene Technology Bill need to be withdrawn from this controversial Bill."

Notes:

*(1): The explanatory notes in the Gene Technology Bill state:

"Subpart 9—Amendments to Resource Management Act 1991 Clauses 246 to 254 amend the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). In particular, these clauses— • define genetically modified and Regulator (clause 247): • prohibit a regional council or territorial authority from performing its functions under sections 30 and 31 of the RMA in a manner that treats genetically modified organisms differently from other organisms, including in regional plans, district plans and regional rules (clauses 248 to 253)."

All councils from south Auckland to Cape Reinga in Far North/ Te Tai Tokerau have precautionary and prohibitive GE/GMO provisions, policies, and rules- set up in keeping with the wishes of local farmers and other ratepayers, in order to protect our regions biosecurity, wider environment, economy, and existing GM free farmers/ primary producers, including conventional, IPM, regenerative,and organic.

Hastings District Council has achieved outright prohibition of all outdoor GE/GMO experiments, field trials, and releases for the duration of the District Plan.

*(2): Whangarei District Council "Genetic Engineering Review" webpage, detailing the good work of the Northland/ Auckland INTER COUNCIL WORKING PARTY ON GMO RISK EVALUATION & MANAGEMENT OPTIONS formed in 2003. https://www.wdc.govt.nz/Council/Council-documents/Reports/Genetic-Engineering-Review

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