Science Media Centre

UPDATED: Medical trials involving genetically modified vaccines and other GM treatments will still be allowed under planning changes Auckland and three other local councils are making. Auckland councillors this week agreed to a ban on the general release of genetically modified organisms under the city’s Unitary Plan. *See new comments below on the legal aspects […]

The High Court has upheld a ruling allowing regional councils to determine whether genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be banned in their areas. Federated Farmers appealed an earlier decision in the Environment Court, which granted regional councils the right to make decisions about GMOs, saying the technology should be regulated by central government. NZBIO chief […]

Over 100 Nobel laureates have signed their name to an open letter challenging Greenpeace to end its opposition to genetically modified food. The signatories urge Greenpeace to “recognize the findings of authoritative scientific bodies and regulatory agencies, and abandon their campaign against ‘GMOs’ in general and Golden Rice in particular”. Golden Rice is a beta-carotene […]

Genetically engineered crops are safe, but new regulations are needed as the definition of GE organisms becomes blurred, say US academies. An extensive study by the US-based National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has analysed the costs and benefits of genetically modified crops, drawing on almost 30 years of research. The key findings of the […]

Writing in Hawke’s Bay Today Professor Peter Kemp, Head of the Institute of Agriculture and the Environment at Massey University, pushes back on calls for a ban on genetically modified organisms. An excerpt (read in full here): Peter Kemp: Blanket GMO ban short-sighted It’s been fascinating watching signs appearing across Hawke’s Bay declaring it should […]

As more Zika virus cases are reported in South America and the Pacific, media attention has turned to GM mosquitoes and the first  infection – a pregnant woman – reported in Europe. In Spain, health authorities have confirmed a pregnant woman recently returned from Columbia is infected with the virus. It is the first reported […]

The Environmental Protection Authority is planning to tweak regulations to clear up confusion over what is and is not a genetically modified organism (GMO). Under current law, widely-used crops can be considered “genetically modified” because of the way they were created, despite having been grown in New Zealand fields for decades. The proposed amendments clarify that […]

The Science Media Centre put questions on key science-related issues to the political parties ahead of the General Election scheduled to be held on September 20.  This page has now been updated to include responses from the Maori Party. Please click on the links below to find the answers from responding political parties (or download […]

A controversial retracted study on the toxicology of genetically modified corn and pesticide has been republished in a new journal. In 2012, a study was published in Food and Chemical Toxicology by Séralini et al. titled “Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize.” The authors of the study claimed […]

A genetic tweak that leads to mosquitoes producing mainly male offspring has the potential to rapidly knock back populations of the disease spreading insect. UK researcher developed a system which interferes with male mosquitoes’ ability to pass on the X chromosome — necessary for creating female offspring —  in their sperm. When introduced to caged […]