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Contained research

The amendments to the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996 include measures to streamline the decision-making process for contained laboratory research in genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).

The amendments are in line with the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification. It concluded that, while the regulatory system for laboratory research was sound, there could be improvements in the area of low-risk genetic modification. It recommended simplifying the assessment process for low-risk genetic modifications with a view to improving efficiency and reducing compliance costs.

Whether or not an organism will be considered low-risk depends on the type of organism, the sorts of modifications being made to it, and the level of containment. The low-risk regulations (available on the NZ Legislation website, in the Regulations database) provide more information on what constitutes a low-risk organism.

Under the amended law, research institutions conducting low-risk GM research in the confines of the laboratory will be able to make applications for approval on a project basis. Formerly, they had to make a separate application for each organism produced during a particular piece of research.

Other changes allow the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) to delegate decisions on the importation of low-risk genetically modified organisms to Institutional Biological Safety Committees (IBSCs). These committees already make decisions, under ERMA guidelines, on the development of these sorts of GMOs in contained laboratories.

The changes do not alter the level of risk permissible.

Research is the main use of genetic modification in New Zealand. Scientists are trying to:

  • understand how genes work
  • develop resistance to diseases and pests in plants and animals
  • improve or assist in plant and animal breeding techniques
  • modify animals to produce substances in their milk that can be used to treat diseases
  • identify genetic variation in endangered and other native species in order to help manage populations or to get a better understanding of New Zealand’s biological history.

Genetic techniques are also used in a wide range of biomedical research.

For more information about ERMA’s approval process for laboratory research, visit the applications section of its website.

Contained field research

Field research is conducted to try out GMOs in a more natural setting than the laboratory and to assess environmental effects. All field tests outside the laboratory are subject to stringent conditions. New Zealand has strict controls in place to regulate field tests and in May 2002 the government further strengthened these controls.

This includes preventing all “heritable material” from escaping the field test area into the environment. Inspection and monitoring of all field tests is compulsory.

Heritable material is defined as “viable biological material, including gametes and spores, arising from the organism that can, without human intervention, regenerate the organism or reproduce a new generation of the same species of the organism”.

Last updated: 17 September 2007