Tell the Government:
Scrap the race clauses
New Zealanders were promised an end to race-based decision-making.
Yet the new Gene Technology Bill writes it straight into law. It creates
Māori-only advisory committees and embeds identity politics into
scientific regulation.
Science should be guided by evidence, not ethnicity. Regulation should apply
to everyone equally. This Bill rewards consultants, not innovators, and divides Kiwis instead of uniting us.
Creates a standing committee with statutory recognition to advise the Regulator on Māori relationships with flora/fauna.
Institutionalises race in regulation; introduces permanent parallel governance.
Explicit racial categories in legislation.
Contradicts “one standard of citizenship.”
Regulator must “take into account” advice from Māori advisors in decision-making.
Creates unequal influence; a voice for some, silence for others.
Ongoing funding for advisory structures and cultural assessments.
Redirects resources away from science and innovation toward bureaucracy.