Stewart Barbara: Human Tissue (Organ Donation) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Stewart Barbara: Human Tissue (Organ Donation) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
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BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
: 
 On behalf of New Zealand First I rise to speak to the Human Tissue (Organ Donation) Amendment Bill. New Zealand First supports the recommendation of the Health Committee that this bill should not be passed. 
This bill was considered very carefully by the select committee and we congratulate the member on bringing it to the House. The Health Committee heard two petitions on this issue and they were both some time ago. In the last Parliament we were very interested to hear from Andy Tookey. This bill is basically a logical extension of his petition. It was a very unique opportunity to examine this issue again. We heard some very sad stories from many submitters for whom organ donation is the only option they have from those who believe that there should be mandatory harvesting of organs and from doctors who deal with this issue in accident and emergency every day. We have to thank these submitters for their time and for their courage in coming before the select committee to tell their stories and give us their views. It really gave us a total fully rounded view of the situation. 
We considered this bill in conjunction with the Government Human Tissue Bill. We have ensured that within that legislation there is the ability to set up an organ donor register should there be the evidence that is required to support such a register when and if it is required. We are very aware that donor shortage is a fact of life in New Zealand. It is a problem in New Zealand and it is also a problem elsewhere in the world. We know that there are very few organs available and that a lot are needed. With the increasing diseases that we have sometimes organ donation is essential for keeping people alive. 
Back in 2004 when we examined the issue in the select committee I stated in a press release that a more proactive stance was required on the issue of organ donation if a register was ever to be successful. There has not been any action on this front at all apart from the setting up of a website since then to justify setting up and maintaining a register. When we heard in the select committee that overseas studies show that registers have limited success and that setting up a register does not automatically guarantee any increase in organ donation it really made us sit back and think. We are very aware that much more needs to be done. The last thing that we want to do is to set up an organ donor register and actually set it up to fail because the work has not been done. We have not had any public information or education campaigns on organ donation at all. 
As we have heard from other speakers we are only too aware that the option of becoming an organ donor on the driver’s-licence database does not work because of the simple fact that the information is recorded for no apparent purpose. No one actually accesses that information. There is no communication with family members. There is no means to specify which organs a person might wish to donate or even to specify which uses a person wishes to donate his or her body for. I know that my 17-year-old son recently went for his driver’s licence and I asked him which box he had ticked when it came to filling in the driver’s-licence form. He told me that he had ticked “No” because he did not want to think about that at that particular point in time. Of course we just have to accept that is how teenagers think; they are more focused on getting a licence than thinking about any other aspect of life at that particular time. 
In New Zealand First we believe that more needs to be done to ensure success before a register is set up. We want to see any resources allocated to set up and maintain a register be successful. I would like to emphasise that the door has not been shut by voting against the establishment of a register at this time. I know that Andy Tookey will be very disappointed when he hears this debate tonight but the possibility of establishing a register is there in the Government Human Tissue Bill. The consent framework is in that bill; the legislation is there. 
We are looking forward to future debates on this very important issue because it will become more important as time goes on. We in New Zealand First support the select committee report and we will be voting against this bill.