Varsity unit gives cash to pro-GE fund

By SIMON COLLINS

Auckland University's commercial arm has confirmed that it made "a modest contribution" to the controversial election fund of the pro-genetic modification Life Sciences Network.

Auckland Uniservices chief executive Dr John Kernohan said the contribution was made because "something like 60 per cent of our contract work is GM of some sort".

The $180,000 fund paid for pro-GM advertisements in 21 newspapers on Wednesday and for information kits and a tollfree hotline for candidates from all parties except the anti-GM Greens and Alliance.

Two crown research institutes criticised on Wednesday for contributing to the fund, AgResearch and Crop and Food Research, said yesterday they paid only $10,000 between them to the fund.

The other $170,000 was paid by some of the Life Sciences Network's 20 other members, who include Fonterra, Auckland Uniservices, Otago University, Federated Farmers, the Meat Industry Association, the Biotechnology Association and the industry group Biotenz.

Crop and Food spokesman Howard Bezar said his institute's $3500 contribution was paid in kind by preparing and printing booklets on "GE myths" and "GE-free zones" and fact cards on GM issues.

Prime Minister Helen Clark yesterday refused to comment on the furore, including a claim by National Party leader Bill English that the advertisements were "an organised attempt by Labour to try to pull votes back from the Greens".

But Science Minister Pete Hodgson told National Radio's Linda Clark that crown research institutes were companies with their own boards, had other clients besides the Government and "are entitled to use funding that they receive as they will".

"The truth of the matter is that most genetic engineering or genetic modification research in New Zealand takes place within the public sector, so the public sector composed of CRIs and universities ... are an inevitable part of the debate."

Dr Kernohan said Auckland Uniservices believed that educating the community about biotechnology was important.

"I don't see presenting the facts about GE to be political at all," he said. "We see it just as science. I think all parties need to be educated and so do the people in the street."

The executive director of the Crown Company Monitoring and Advisory Unit which monitors CRIs, Murray Wright, said he talked to both AgResearch and Crop and Food yesterday about their participation in the election fund, but did not plan to take any further action.

But Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said no one could argue realistically that running a pro-GM advertisement three days before an election was "neutral".

"Choosing not to send the election kits to Green and Alliance candidates shows just how biased this whole campaign is."

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