Kedgley Sue: New Organisms and Other Matters Bill — In Committee 
Kedgley Sue: New Organisms and Other Matters Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:612;Page:9075] 
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
: 
 Just before I comment on the schedule I will respond to a comment that Mr Power made. He made the observation that it was very interesting that the two major political parties—one not so major any longer—agree in a substantive way on this legislation. That is a very very interesting point and one that has been noted up and down the land. Why is the Labour Party acting and sounding like the National Party on this bill? Why is it ignoring the majority of the opinion in New Zealand? Why is it ignoring the views of many of its own members? Why is it proceeding with this legislation? Why is it to lift the moratorium and risk contaminating our environment in order to grow food that there is no market for that has not yet been safety-tested and that there are no consumer benefits from when even the claimed producer benefits have not yet come to pass? 
Up and down the land people ask me why the Labour Party is doing this and why the Labour members are silent on this issue—why they are in a cowed silence. Two days ago in a hall in Wellington a Maori person stood up and asked why the Maori representatives in Parliament were agreeing to lift the moratorium why they are silent and why we never hear them speak out about this issue when we know Maori have very real concerns about it. It may be a cosy little club in here in Parliament and as Simon Power said the major parties may agree in a substantive way on this legislation. But I can tell that member he is completely out of touch with political opinion and with public opinion in this land—as we will see on Saturday when people up and down this land will be marching. This cosy little club where members are all giggling and chatting and patting each other on the back is completely out of touch. Frankly most New Zealanders would be appalled to hear this jolly little debate about a bill that will have such serious consequences for the future of New Zealand. 
This schedule prohibits the beaver the prairie dog and so on. We are worried about introducing a new species like the hairy thorn apple when this bill will allow what are basically alien species—because that is what genetically engineered species are—into New Zealand. They are novel species. In order to get patents it has to be proved that genetically engineered species are completely new novel and alien organisms. These new organisms are unpredictable in their consequences. We are worried about the red or silver fox but at the same time we are to allow these inherently unpredictable and untested organisms into our environment so that we can grow food that there is no market for and that consumers are rejecting. The only reason any consumers around the world are eating GE food is that they are forced to eat it because there is no proper labelling regime. That of course is the case in New Zealand. We are being forced to eat genetically engineered food. Our labelling system is so pathetic that we cannot avoid GE ingredients because so many of them are unlabelled in New Zealand and that is the only reason that consumers are eating such ingredients in New Zealand. 
So why are we risking our status as a clean green producer of pure food? Why are we lifting the moratorium against the overwhelming public opinion of this land? Why is the Labour Party sounding like the National Party? Why is it in substantive agreement as Simon Power said with ACT and National on this bill? People are asking whether the Labour Party is returning to the 1990s. Why is it listening to a handful of multinational corporations and no doubt to George Bush and ignoring the people of New Zealand? Why are the ordinary Labour Party members so silent on this issue? I challenge the Maori members—there are three Maori members each of whom I deeply respect sitting in this Chamber now—to explain why they are so silent on this issue. Why are they not speaking as the person asked in the hall last night on behalf of Maori on this matter?