Cunliffe David: Human Tissue Bill — In Committee 
Cunliffe David: Human Tissue Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:643;Page:13058] 
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Minister of Health) 
: 
 It is my pleasure to take a very quick call on the Human Tissue Bill and to thank all members of the Committee for the very constructive spirit that has been evident in this debate. 
Clearly issues of human tissue of personal human remains and of the use of human tissue for medical purposes are amongst the most personal and sensitive of matters that are likely to come before this House. It is gratifying therefore that members on all sides of the House have given this matter very careful consideration at the select committee and in the Chamber. I extend my thanks and congratulations to the Health Committee on the care of its deliberations. I think we have a bill that will stand scrutiny and that clearly bears the hallmarks of the submissions made to it and for that both I and the ministry are grateful. 
Several important issues have been raised on the Chamber floor in this discussion. I turn first to the latter contribution from the member Mr Flavell to say that although I have great respect for the perspective that he represents I cannot share his assertion that the bill is contrary to the Treaty of Waitangi. The bill is in my view a permissive bill which establishes at a minimum the rights and responsibilities of the individual in respect of human tissue but does not preclude the role of whanui in forming a collective decision that may influence the individual should that be appropriate. I earnestly hope that the appropriate tikanga will be followed in Maori communities as is possible but not compulsorily admittedly within the structure of the bill. I know that the committee has given those matters careful and respectful consideration. 
Members opposite have also raised the question of a voluntary organ and tissue donor register and on this issue I believe the select committee has taken extensive advice and also provided careful consideration. I am advised that as of 1 January there were 433 people on a waiting list for a kidney transplant 13 waiting for a liver five for a heart eight for a lung and four for a pancreas-kidney transplant so this is a very important matter. I am further advised that there are currently only some 36 people who have actually provided whole organ donations in the last year—a number that I think most New Zealanders would find surprisingly low. 
 I know that many of us in this Chamber probably have on our driver’s licence the little word “donor” down in the bottom corner. I would take this opportunity to encourage all New Zealanders to consider taking that step as I have because the reality is that by the time the question is asked one has no more need of those organs. Of course it is a personal decision; it is a very private decision. But I think that we need to encourage organ donation. However the evidence does not support the proposition that a voluntary register is the best or only way of doing that. I believe rather that a combination of developing clinical expertise to improve identification and management of potential donors combined with improved processes used to request donations from family members and coordination between the various parties involved in organ and tissue removal is likely to provide the best combination of services. 
Again the bill is permissive in the sense that it provides for the Governor-General to make by Order in Council a regulation to set up such a voluntary register at a future point in time when the international evidence is at the point where it would support that in terms of the objective of the bill. 
I am pleased that there is widespread support in the Committee for this bill. Again I thank all members for the constructive and thoughtful way in which they have approached this most sensitive of issues. 
The question was put that the amendment set out on Supplementary Order Paper 156 in the name of Tariana Turia to clause 7 be agreed to.