Flavell Te Ururoa: Consumer's Right to Know (Food Information) Bill — First Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Consumer's Right to Know (Food Information) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:632;Page:4023] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Tena no tatou katoa. Over half a century ago there was a bilingual quarterly publication entitled  
Te Ao Hou 
 which had as its purpose “the provision of interesting and informative reading for Maori homes … like a marae on paper where all questions of interest to the Maori can be discussed.” I turned to  
Te Ao Hou 
 in terms of trying to find some way forward with regard to this particular bill the Consumer’s Right to Know (Food Information) Bill at this point in time—in particular around the views that Maori people had about health. 
In that source I found this quote: “The traditional foods of the Maori people built splendid men and fine looking strong women and all of these foods were gathered from New Zealand’s soil or waters. With the coming of the pakeha and his food however the Maori people are forgetting some of their own foods and adopting more and more of the pakeha foods … Pakeha food such as meat bread and tea has come and come to stay but do not neglect your own excellent foods your puha your fish and your kumaras.” There is some sound advice in there. The excellent foods of tangata whenua—our puha fish and kumara—may well have stood us in good stead in a world that is rapidly being spoiled by food that is affected by pesticides heavy metals industrial chemicals and other contaminants. 
The food industry in Aotearoa has been grappling with the sweeping tidal wave of genetic modification over the last decade. Over the last 10 years food manufacturers have been requesting information about the levels of GM-derived ingredients in food products and animal feed products. They also require the country of origin of certain foods to be on their labels at a point in time. Back in 1952 the origins were indisputable. Octopus kina rock oysters koura crayfish kuku paua pipi and toheroa—where else would one come across those but on the foreshore and seabeds of this fine land? Hapuku tarakihi snapper kahawai mango and patiki—there was no risk then of purchasing such foods with “Made in Taiwan” emblazoned on their wrappings.  
It is from the base of that pure healthy kai that the Maori Party is delighted to support Sue Kedgley on a bill that is very dear to our hearts and our puku. We believe that all consumers—tangata whenua and tangata tauiwi alike—have the right to make meaningful decisions about the kai they purchase. And they can do so through having sufficient accurate and detailed information on all labels or at the point of sale. We support the right of consumers to know the composition of all foods derived from gene technology—not just those with detectable levels of GM protein or DNA remaining after processing. We support the right of consumers to know whether eggs are free range barn produced or from caged hens. In this so-called information-rich world mandatory labelling on egg packages and seafood—whether caught wild or farmed—is surely in the best interests of all consumers. Accurate truthful and meaningful food labelling will also enable us to be compliant with national and international food standards.  
Of course we acknowledge that it will require more work to ensure that manufacturers follow rigorous standards in the way that they source develop and manufacture food products. That will inevitably bring increased costs to manufacturers which will no doubt have to flow on to consumers. But how much is a human life worth? The Maori Party will always vote in balance for human life over and above issues of fiscal cost. We understand the risks of particular chemical contaminants arising from the production processes of some nations or indeed from post-harvest or post-fumigation treatments.  
This House may not be aware of recent research from Otago University which revealed that several traditional Maori food plants are rich potential sources of cancer-fighting antioxidants. A study of 17 native plant species found that some native plants have an extraordinary potential to scavenge free radicals which are implicated in cancer heart disease and neurodegenerative conditions. The study provides some exciting insights into why perhaps pre-European Maori appeared to have low levels of non-infectious diseases. 
The Maori Party believes that consumers have the right to know the derivation of GM ingredients in food products and the right to know the life-enhancing potential that is evident in puha rewarewa titoki and swamp maire. We support the bill in the interests of a future GE-free Aotearoa.