The Health Select Committee released their report on the Gene Technologies Bill in early October and are recommending that the Bill be passed by a majority with the suggested amendments. If the Gene Technologies Bill is passed it will open the door to the broad-scale use of gene technologies in our agricultural landscapes at the expense of public safety, farmer livelihood and our global Clean Green Image.

In a region like Hawke's Bay, where the health impacts of our extensive use of horticultural chemicals are not clearly understood or recognised, we are at a greater risk than other regions. We all live in close proximity to extensive horticultural production areas where a suite of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, thinners and growth regulators are routinely applied, broad scale, throughout the growing season. If the Gene Technologies Bill passes these applications will quickly transition to gene technology, agritech companies racing to eradicate our agricultural production issues by genetically manipulating the agricultural environment.

We will be told that gene tech production systems are better for the environment because they eliminate the need to use those nasty old chemicals but the fact is that there is not enough research to fully understand of the unintended consequences of manipulating our agricultural ecosystems at a genetic level.

The Gene Technologies Bill is a significant threat to organic and regenerative farming systems. Genetic manipulations systematically work their way through living ecosystems without regard for legal boundaries and quickly contaminate natural farming systems, compromising the public's ability to access to unmodified natural foods.

Food Safety Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) recent decision to exclude products made using New Breeding Techniques (NBTs) from the legal definition of GMOs is already concerning as the the change means NBT-derived foods such as precision engineered yeasts will not need to be labelled or traced, and could even be falsely marketed as “Non-GMO”.

There is a national call to action to ensure the Gene Technologies Bill is not passed by the House and if you have any power to support this call to action we ask that you use it now.

Our maara kai produces the abundance of greens and herbs used at Hapi as well as vegtetables for our juices and cabbage for our kim chi.

Hapi works to uphold Ngā Kaupapa o Hua Parakore, the ancestral values that underpin the creation of pure, uncontaminated food. When we succeed our products become Kai Atua, food that is of the divine, food that is inherently healing. Kai Ora.

You can drink it hot like lemon and honey. You can drink it cold like a soda.  You take it on a spoon like medicine.