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Overwhelming support for local decisions on GM free status- National Poll

Posted Mon, 02/12/2013 - 10:18
 Pure Hawke's Bay is a group of primary producers (conventional, IPM and organic) in Hawke's Bay committed to retaining their existing valuable GE free status, and continued access to key markets and premiums for GM free produce

Overwhelming Support for Local Decisions on GM Free Status: National Poll

Four out of five New Zealanders think councils should be able to keep their districts GM Free using local plans, according to a Colmar Brunton poll.

The poll was commissioned by Pure Hawke’s Bay, a group of premium food producers who are asking councils in the region to secure Hawke’s Bay’s GM free status through local plans.

Earlier this year, the Government announced its intention to change the law to prevent the regions from doing so. But 79% of New Zealanders participating in the national poll said that councils should be able to use the RMA to prohibit GM releases in their territories.

The response shows that the Government is way out of step with New Zealanders, says Bruno Chambers of Pure Hawke’s Bay.

Several councils – including Hastings, Whangarei, Far North and Auckland City – are proposing to use local plans to protect their regions from GMO releases, with strong backing from their communities.

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79% want councils to have power over GM crops, Colmar Brunton poll

Posted Mon, 02/12/2013 - 10:11

RADIO NZ programme

79% want councils to have power over GM crops - Colmar Brunton poll

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/229508/79-percent-want-councils-to-have-power-over-gm-crops-poll



A group opposed to genetic modification has released a poll showing almost 80% of respondents want councils to retain the power to create GM-free zones.

The phone survey of 1000 people was commissioned by Pure Hawke's Bay and carried out by Colmar-Brunton.
Under proposed changes to the Resource Management Act, central government rather than councils would have the power to decide where GM crops can be grown.

However, Pure Hawke's Bay says 79% of the people surveyed want decision making powers to stay with the councils.

Spokesperson Bruno Chambers says GM free products command a premium price and the group wants GM-free zones so farmers can grow unmodified crops with less risk of contamination.

The survey has a plus or minus margin of error of 3.1%.

Listen to more from Bruno Chambers on Morning Report

Landmark court case on GE

Posted Sun, 01/12/2013 - 23:51

see also
http://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20131126.htm

www.sunlive.co.nz/news/58543-council-court-over-gmos.html


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Precaution vital to prevent GE contamination

Posted Sun, 01/12/2013 - 23:50

 

http://press.gefree.org.nz/press/20131126.htm

 

GE FREE NZ Press Release

26/11/2013

Precaution Vital to Prevent GE Contamination

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Comvita adds voice to GE trials caution

Posted Sun, 01/12/2013 - 23:48

Comvita adds voice to GE trials caution

By John Cousins      Bay of Plenty Times

8:30 AM Friday Nov 29, 2013 
  •   www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=11164655
Cultural consultant Buddy Mikaere is standing for a tougher council stance on genetic engineering. Cultural consultant Buddy Mikaere is standing for a tougher council stance on genetic engineering.

One of the Bay's biggest exporters Comvita has backed moves to single out genetic engineering as deserving a "precautionary approach" by the region's environmental watchdog.

The Paengaroa-based company joined seven others in the Environment Court yesterday to fight a bid by the New Zealand Forest Research Institute (Scion) to stop the the Bay of Plenty Regional Council adopting a cautionary stance toward GE field trials.

Comvita, whose honey exports of $80 million rely on New Zealand's clean green image, has highlighted the huge financial impact if a GE organism was released into the environment.

Scientists, activists, orchardists, organic farmers and Maori culture united to support the council which wants to signal its concern about the risks from genetic modification trials in its regional policy statement.

Scion has challenged the validity of the council singling out genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as warranting a precautionary approach.

But the council stopped short of elevating GMOs to a "matter of significance" which would have had a flow-on effect into its planning documents by the introduction of specific rules.

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WAR AGAINST GMO'S EXPECTED TO ESCALATE

Posted Tue, 15/10/2013 - 21:21
letters to editor needed, in response to today's Whangarei Leader GE story

(inflammatory comments from WDC's Clr John Williamson- but he is correct in anticipating that Federated Farmers of NZ and...who knows what nefariou multinational or NZ Crown Research Institute will appeal Whangarei District Council, Far North District Council and Auckland Council's collaborative Plan change to BAN all GMO releases and make EPA approved outdoor GE experiments/ field trials a Discretionary activity

(try and keep it to 250 words, provide full contact details :)

WAR AGAINST GMO's EXPECTED TO ESCALATE       15 October 2013     Whangarei Leader
by Denise Piper

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Whangarei District Council- important GE agenda item, Wednesday 9 October 10am Forum North

Posted Sat, 05/10/2013 - 17:14

 


There will be an important GE agenda item at next Wednesdays 9 October 2013 meeting of the
Whangarei District Council "District Living committee"
(Council chambers, Whangarei)

AGENDA (now online, GE documents available in attachment form, upon request)
www.wdc.govt.nz/YourCouncil/Events/Pages/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=320
Whangarei ratepayers and residents- please JOIN US in making a positive presence at council on the day... and ...celebrate the expected win on the day.

All welcome :) (including from other parts of Northland)

Where: WHANGAREI DISTRICT COUNCIL
Forum North, Rust Avenue  (council chambers, upstairs) 

When: 10am -llam

Wear: GE free t-shirts, bring banners or placards celebrating and encouraging WDC's excellent leadership on the GE issue, our council continues to work hard to protect our existing valuable GE free status
(In keeping with the WDC's strong precautionary and prohibitive GE policy in our Long Term Council Community Plan 2012/22...and... in keeping with WDC's unanimous vote to undertake the proposed Plan change.

 

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GM stance deepens divisions

Posted Tue, 17/09/2013 - 00:04
"GM stance deepens divisions" 
by Jamie Ball
STRAIGHT FURROW   10 September 2013     (front page)

Federated Farmers of NZ is "clearly out of touch with markets" in their opposition to councils' plans to introduce tighter regulation for genetically modified organisms, says Pure Hawke's Bay (PHB) spokesman Bruno Chambers.

Mr. Chambers said the PHB coalition of regional food producers seeking to improve the region's global reputation for safe, sustainable, high quality food production had proposed securing GM free food producer status through local authority planning, for l0 years.

"We had a meeting with the President, Bruce Wills, who said that Federated Farmers would not stand in the way of the Pure Hawke's Bay initiative, so it surprises me that Federated Farmers are taking the position they have."

"They are basically out of touch with the markets. NZ relies on premium markets- our future is not with low-price commodity markets," he said.

Environment Minister Amy Adams recently announced that hazardous substances and new organisms were comprehensively regulated on a national basis and councils should not use the Resource Management Act (RMA) to set up their own independent regulatory frameworks.

However, like some other regions, the Hawke's Bay coalition believes that the Environmental Protection Authority has no mandate to protect regions, regional rands or regional returns.

Mr. Chambers said it was a pity that the federation's representative on the subject, Wililam Rolleston, was entrenched in an ideological position.

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new report: An overview of genetic modification in New Zealand 1973-2013: the first forty years

Posted Tue, 17/09/2013 - 00:01

new report: An overview of genetic modification in New Zealand 1973-2013: the first forty years 

excellent new report/ expose (from the McGuiness Institute in Wellington) of how the NZ government has failed to implement many of the key useful recommendations from the Royal Commission into Genetic Modification
Download this report here:

http://apo.org.au/research/overview-genetic-modification-new-zealand-1973-2013-first-forty-years

An overview of genetic modification in New Zealand 1973-2013: the first forty years
Wendy McGuinness, Renata Mokena-Lodge | McGuinness Institute
29 August, 2013

An overview of genetic modification in New Zealand 1973-2013: the first forty years
29 August 2013

This report argues that strategically, New Zealand is no further ahead on public policy regarding outdoor use of GMOs than it was when the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification reported its findings in 2001.
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Govt coalition partners reject RMA proposal

Posted Mon, 16/09/2013 - 23:39

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11123339

 

Govt coalition partners reject RMA proposal

By Isaac Davison @Isaac_Davison

Sep 12, 2013  NZ HERALD
National had the support of Act for the bill, which is still being drafted, but needed one more vote to get it over the line. Photo / Getty Images
  
National had the support of Act for the bill, which is still being drafted, but needed one more vote to get it over the line. Photo / Getty Images

Prime Minister John Key has underlined the importance of speeding up building consents to make homes more affordable after the Government's major reforms of the Resource Management Act hit a roadblock.

Mr Key admitted the proposed RMA legislation would need to be changed after National's support parties United Future and the Maori Party made a rare, joint statement of opposition to the reforms.

National had the support of Act for the bill, which is still being drafted, but needed one more vote to get it over the line.

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