Browning Steffan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Browning Steffan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 29 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:4866. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
12. 
STEFFAN BROWNING (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Science and Innovation 
: What is the cost of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment acting as a founding partner of the 2012 Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference; and what is the total cost of all Government sponsorship of this conference? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister of Science and Innovation) 
: 
 I am advised that the cost to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment is $100000. I am further advised that a number of Crown research institutes are also sponsors of the conference but given that Crown research institutes are only partly Government funded it is not possible to quantify the Government funding used by Crown research institutes to sponsor the conference as well. The goal of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment’s funding of the conference is to promote New Zealand’s expertise in agriculture innovation science and technology which helps our credibility and reputation in the global market place. One of the ministry’s key roles is to facilitate connections between scientists and users and an international conference of this scope is an excellent way to showcase New Zealand’s research and development capabilities and advances to a global audience. 
Steffan Browning 
: Is the fact that the Government is sponsoring this conference financially an endorsement that genetically modifying crops is the right direction for the New Zealand economy despite the risk of this approach to our clean green advantage? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: No. The Government’s role in sponsoring this conference and what it is seeking to achieve is to bring a world-quality agricultural biotechnology conference to New Zealand to discuss a whole range of agricultural technology issues. 
Steffan Browning 
: What economic return if any has the Government seen from its investment of tens of millions of dollars in genetically engineered pasture plants? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I do not have that particular matter to hand but what I can tell the member is that in a broader sense New Zealand’s investment in agricultural technology has been absolutely fundamental to our economic success over decades and decades. 
Steffan Browning 
: I seek leave to table a report by the Sustainability Council that shows that tens of millions of dollars of Government money have been spent on GE pasture plants with no return. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Steffan Browning 
: Is he concerned that the New Zealand Crown research institutes sponsoring this conference have all seriously breached their GE field trial approval conditions? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: No I am not aware that that is the case but I am concerned that the Crown research institutes periodically get attacked at their GE facilities. For example recently I think $100000 worth of crops were damaged at a Scion facility by Wild Greens activists. I think that is a difficulty because that actually does create risks. 
Steffan Browning 
: I seek leave to table the 2009 Plant and Food Research report prepared for MAF Biosecurity New Zealand that shows that Plant and Food Research breached its own GE field trial conditions. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 









Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Steffan Browning 
: I seek leave to table the University of Canterbury’s 2011 report that shows that AgResearch breached its GE field trial monitoring requirements. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? 
Hon Gerry Brownlee 
: It is publicly available. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Well members can object. Is there any objection? There is objection. 
Steffan Browning 
: I seek leave to table the 2008 MAF Biosecurity New Zealand report that shows that Scion has breached its GE field trial conditions. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.