Despite a short, sharp debate showing polar opposite views, the Northland Regional Council has basically held fast to its previous stance on genetic engineering - "we will not be moved."
The debate took place at the council's November meeting held earlier this week in Kaikohe. Some anti-GE campaigners attended, who may or may not have been the target of Cr Bill Rossiter's comments on emails from campaigners. He said he found the emails "offensive to councillors and offensive to staff and no way to progress the issue".
The agenda recommendation was that council "continue to participate in the Inter-Council Working Party on genetically-modified organisms and to share the information that it receives as part of the development of the new NRC regional policy statement with the working party".
Cr Graeme Ramsay put three more modest recommendations on the table, aimed at strengthening the council's response to the issue of GE or genetically modified organisms (GMOs); two were passed.
"If we are serious about leadership we must listen to our community, to messages from iwi and the territorial local authorities, and if they are seeking to move in one direction we should assist them to do so," he said.
"I am not moving that we shut out GMOs for ever, rather that we protect the community from unforeseen circumstances ... every time I see dead possum I remember that introducing them was someone's bright idea for a possum fur industry. We must have a liability regime in place on the GMO issue."
His recommendations were that council confirm its commitment to a precautionary approach to GMOs within the Northland environment (passed); confirm council's commitment to the working party by appointing NRC chair Craig Brown as its representative on the group (passed); and to support the ICWP in developing a process and timeline to develop an effective precautionary approach for Auckland and Northland (failed).
The extra recommendations provoked a fiery response from Cr Ian Walker - "what you are saying is that you are anti-science, anti-the agricultural industry which is the biggest [economic] driver in the north. I think we should look at issues as they occur ..." He said the Royal Commission's recommendations for an open-minded, careful approach were being ignored by a few people who "didn't want to go along with it because it didn't come out with what they like to hear".
He asked if Mr Ramsay was telling agricultural science and the farming and horticultural communities that this branch of science was closed to them, despite the fact that one of the biggest problems in the north was that research was needed for increasing production. "We need localised research ... work done elsewhere is mostly not applicable up here."
Cr Bronwyn Hunt said she didn't think anyone around the table was saying they didn't want the north to benefit from scientific research. "We are looking at ways of increasing the wealth of the north ... and we are in a really good space to make the most of the fact that we are so 'natural'.
"I'm distressed to hear the kinds of things you are saying [Cr Walker]. You are such an innovative person yourself," she said.
Cr Tony Davies-Colley said it was a land-use issue for district councils to resolve, and he favoured the precautionary, legislative approach. "We have to be careful not to tell the district councils what to do."
Chair Craig Brown said his view of several years remained unchanged: "The issue is about reducing risk to people. If you allow open air experiments in genetic engineering you run the risk of ratepayers having to clean up the mess. It's not a moral issue, it's a practical financial issue to challenge the inadequacy of the legislation on this issue."
The ICWP, involving councillors from the super-city to Cape Reinga, wasn't looking for a ban on GMOs but greater controls which would eliminate or reduce risk to ratepayers.
Cr Brown was referring to last year's ICWP decision to recommend to its member councils that "the investigation of regulatory options to prevent or minimise risk of social, economic, cultural or environmental harm proceed and include development of specific plan objectives, policies ... along with pre-plan change notification consultation".
GMOs have not been identified as a regionally significant issue by the NRC regional policy and development committee. The regional councils do not have district plans and therefore cannot control GMO land use.