Posted on 24-5-2002

Green Engineering

The Green Party caucus will recommend to the Green Party conference next
week that the release of genetically engineered organisms into New
Zealand's environment will be a bottom line for its support of another
Labour-led Government.

The public of New Zealand must understand that the new moratorium
preventing commercial release expires next year. A majority Labour
Government will mean that New Zealand s GE-Free status will be lost
forever, said Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons. The Green caucus
believes that any coalition agreement with Labour must include an agreement
to stop the moratorium being lifted in October 2003. That doesn t mean we
don t want to be a coalition partner, just that we are setting a bottom
line for that relationship. At our party conference next week, I will be
asking our members to back the caucus on this decision.

Ms Fitzsimons said if a successful coalition agreement could not be
achieved, the Greens could still support Labour forming a Government
because the moratorium will be in place. However any confidence and supply
agreement would be void on the day that the moratorium was lifted. If
voters want widespread release of genetically engineered crops, animals or
viruses next year, then they are welcome to elect a majority Labour
Government. If they want to stop that, they will have to make sure that the
Green Party is there in sufficient strength to hold them back, she said. Ms
Fitzsimons and the Green MPs left the House without voting after her
speech during the third reading of the Hazardous Substances and New
Organisms (Genetically Modified Organisms) Amendment Bill. The Bill puts in
place the moratorium, and also an automatic expiry date.

The Green Party could not in all conscience vote for a Bill which sets an
expiry date of October 2003 for the moratorium on commercial release of
genetically engineered organisms. However, we will not vote against it
because even a brief delay in the farming of GE crops and animals here is a
step forward. Ms Fitzsimons said today s announcement does not affect the
Green Party giving supply and confidence to the Government during this
election term, as the moratorium is in place until after the election.