PRESERVING OPPORTUNITIES OR TAKING UNJUSTIFIED RISKS? RELFECTIONS ON THE REPORT OF THE NEW ZEALAND ROYAL COMMISSION ON GENETIC MODIFICATION

JANET HOPE

ABSTRACT:

This article provides a critical analysis of the recent Report of the New Zealand Royal Commission on Genetic Modification. It gives an overview of the Report and then examines the reasoning behind its conclusions with respect to genetically modified crops and food, New Zealand's relevant regulatory institutions and other key issues addressed in the Report. The article concludes that although the Report is a valuable snapshot of the genetic modification debate in New Zealand, the quality of the reasoning demonstrated by the Royal Commission in the Report is often disappointing.