{"id":1360,"date":"2021-09-10T14:10:28","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T02:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/?page_id=1360"},"modified":"2025-06-25T01:18:49","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T13:18:49","slug":"genetic-engineering","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/genetic-engineering\/","title":{"rendered":"Genetic engineering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n Genetic engineering campaign\n <\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Origins<\/h2>\n\n

Greenpeace started working on the genetic engineering (GE) issue in 1992. Initially it was part of the work undertaken by Pesticides Campaigner Meriel Watts. That year, Greenpeace applied for a review of two GE field trial applications near Gisborne. As a result of Greenpeace\u2019s intervention, the two field trial applications were not approved, and the case highlighted the fact that NZ had no legislation protecting the environment and human health from the commercial importation and exploitation of GE organisms.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Meriel Watts made further submissions to proposed new legislation in 1993 which urged that GE technology not be allowed into NZ and instead promoted organic and ecological agriculture as positive alternatives.<\/p>\n\n

GE field trials<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

The GE work moved up a gear in 1996 when Greenpeace launched a campaign targeting new GE field trial proposals. The first target was an action with local residents protesting against a GE field trial near Oamaru.<\/p>\n\n

\"Greenpeace
Greenpeace joined with local residents to oppose a GE field trial near Oamaru in December 1996<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

At the time, the potential risks posed by GE technology was an emerging issue of public concern, so the campaign also aimed to educate supporters and the public by publishing articles about it in its members\u2019 magazine and encouraged members to make submissions to proposed food standards on the use of GE ingredients in foods, various proposals for GE releases as part of \u2018field trials\u2019, and to the Minister for the Environment.<\/p>\n\n

The call for a moratorium<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

In December 1996 Greenpeace urged the NZ Government to put in place a moratorium on the release of GE organisms into the environment and use of GE ingredients in foods.<\/p>\n\n

This was followed in 1997 with the establishment of a consumer network that Greenpeace called \u2018Genetic Detectives\u2019 to write to supermarkets urging them not to sell GE foods, and to help Greenpeace compile a list of companies that were committed to being GE-Free. The information gathered was published by Greenpeace in its GE-Free Supermarkets Action Kit in 1999, a forerunner of Greenpeace\u2019s popular True Food Guide and GE-Free Food Guide that were published in several editions between 2000 and 2008.<\/p>\n\n

By 1999 stopping GE releases into the environment and GE ingredients being used in food products had become high profile issues, and over the next five years the GE campaign became one of Greenpeace\u2019s main campaigns in New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n

\"August
August 1999 Greenpeace presents evidence to an ERMA hearing linking an insect resistant strain of GE maize with damaging effects on Monarch Butterflies via its pollen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Public opposition to GE grows<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

An estimated 15,000 people joined GE-Free Day of Action events in 20 cities and towns around New Zealand on 6 October 2000, organised by a coalition of GE-Free groups including Greenpeace.<\/p>\n\n

\"6
6 October 2000 An estimated 15,000 people join GE-Free Day of Action events in 20 main centres around NZ organised by a coalition of GE-Free groups including Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Greenpeace actions also targeted Tegel over its use of GE soya chicken feed and Nestle over its stance on GE ingredients in foods, prior to the NZ Government announcing a voluntary GE moratorium and a Royal Commission on Genetic Engineering in 2000.<\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace\u2019s flagship SV Rainbow Warrior II<\/em> was welcomed to Tamaki Makarau by Ngati Whatua Trust Board Deputy Chairman Grant Pakihana Hawke in December 2000 at the start of its two-month nationwide tour campaigning for a GE-Free Future.<\/p>\n\n

\"20
20 December 2000 \u2013 26 January 2001 Photos from the SV Rainbow Warrior II\u2019s two month nationwide GE-Free Future tour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

True Food Guide<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

In May 2001 Greenpeace launched an updated True Food Guide<\/em> which showed that most NZ food companies were going GE-free. Later in the year, the NZ Government announced it would extend the existing voluntary GE moratorium and shortly after that Tegel announced it would go GE-Free.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Major brands go GE-Free<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

The campaign targeting supermarkets and food companies started to bear fruit. The next GE campaign victory came when Progressive Enterprises Ltd announced it would adopt a GE-free policy for its own brand products in November 2001. The company covered about a quarter of the NZ retail grocery market and operated the Foodtown, Countdown, and 3Guys supermarket banner groups, and was the franchise co-ordinator for the FreshChoice and SuperValue banner groups. <\/p>\n\n

In 2002 Greenpeace produced a new edition of its GE-Free Food Guide. More than 80,000 copies were distributed and public meetings on GE technology organised around the country.<\/p>\n\n

An estimated 15,000 people joined a GE-Free Rally in Auckland City on 16 November 2002. Beginning at Aotea Square, the marchers filled Queen Street for over an hour before marching up Queen Street for a GE-Free New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cFor the second time in a year, thousands of people marched in the rain to say they want New Zealand’s agriculture and environment to stay GE-Free,” said  Greenpeace GE Campaigner Steve Abel. “This is a clear message to the Government and the biotech industry from the people of New Zealand \u2013 Prime Minister Helen Clark must take notice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace New Zealand, Mothers Against Genetic Engineering (MAdGE), GE-Free NZ, Green Gloves, and other members of the Auckland GE-Free Coalition took part in the rally.<\/p>\n\n

The colourful parade of banners, placards and costumes ended in Albert Park where people were entertained by Trinity Roots, the Topp Twins, and Golden Horse, and listened to speeches by Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey, MAdGE\u2019s Allanah Currie, MC Slave, and others.<\/p>\n\n

\"Greenpeace
Greenpeace activists with a billboard outside Parliament in Wellington, protesting the Labour-led Government’s decision not to extend the GE moratorium. The billboard reads, “Good leaders listen to the people” and depicts former prime ministers Norman Kirk and David Lange and current PM Helen Clark with historical images of anti-Vietnam, anti-nuclear and anti-GE protests corresponding to each PM, 23 October 2003<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

On 11 October 2003 an estimated 35,000 people marched up Queen Street in Auckland calling for an extension of the GE moratorium. The massive turn-out made it one of New Zealand’s biggest marches, which was supported by Greenpeace, Mothers Against Genetic Engineering (MAdGE), and the Auckland GE-Free Coalition.<\/p>\n\n

\"Aerial
Aerial view of the GE-Free march going up Queen Street in Auckland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

“Today made history much the same as the nuclear-free protests in the 1980s,” said Greenpeace GE Campaigner Steve Abel. “We have a nuclear-free New Zealand because the government listened to the people and the government must listen to this huge expression of public feeling and extend the [GE] moratorium.”<\/p>\n\n

\"Greenpeace
Greenpeace announced their support for Mothers Against Genetic Engineering (MAdGE) and march up Queen St, demanding an extension to the GE moratorium. Greenpeace is seeking the support of volunteers to help promote the rally and is strongly urging people to take time from their day to make their voice heard for a clean and green New Zealand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Large majority opposes GE releases and GE foods<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Opinion polls repeatedly recorded a large majority of the NZ public during the period 2000\u20132004 opposed to GE releases into the environment, and GE ingredients in foods. Despite this, Helen Clark\u2019s Labour-led Coalition Government ended the voluntary GE Moratorium on 27 October 2003.<\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace and the other groups campaigning against GE releases in New Zealand responded with a strong message that \u2018the battle is not over\u2019 and launched \u2018The People’s Moratorium\u2019. <\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace\u2019s GE Campaign, now led by campaigner Steve Abel<\/a>, urged the public to demand that food companies continue to remove GE ingredients from their products and to challenge all new applications to grow GE crops in New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n

The continued pressure paid off. In November 2003 Foodstuffs (Pams and Budget brands) adopted a GE-free policy, and Goodman Fielder joined Australasian food companies Heinz Watties and Unilever in going GE-Free.<\/p>\n\n

Before Greenpeace, Steve Abel got involved in the successful Native Forest Action (NFA) campaign against rainforest logging on the West Coast by Timberlands in the late 1990s. After that he was one of a new influx of young activists that came to work for Greenpeace during the early 2000s who had all worked on the NFA campaign, including Annette Cotter, Chris Hay, Logan Petley, Dean Baigent-Mercer, and Nick Young.<\/p>\n\n

Ronald McDonald quits over GE chickens<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Following the GE campaign\u2019s success in persuading supermarkets and big food companies to adopt GE-free policies, Greenpeace also started targeting GE soya fed chickens produced by Tegel and Inghams, and used by fast food giants KFC and McDonalds.<\/p>\n\n

In January 2001 Greenpeace activists delivered two tonnes of GE-free soya to a Tegel factory in Christchurch, urging the company to commit to using only GE-free soya chicken fee.<\/p>\n\n

In September 2003, chicken-suited Greenpeace activists closed down the Inghams\/Harvey Farms soya chicken feed factory in Hamilton by blocking the entrance and hanging a giant banner that read, \u201cOnghams – GE Feed Not Wanted\u201d. They demanded that the company instead switch to using only GE-free soya chicken feed.<\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace used SV Rainbow Warrior II<\/em> to blockade an Inghams shipment of GE soya chicken feed in early 2004 shortly before embarking on a GE-Free tour of New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n

Shortly after the tour, in one of its most memorable actions devised by Steve Abel, Greenpeace organised for \u2018Ronald McDonald\u2019 to hand in his resignation at the Queen Street branch of McDonalds over the GE soya fed chicken issue. In this case, \u2018Ronald\u2019 was played by a friend who was also an actor.<\/p>\n

<\/section><\/div>\n

Then in May 2004, Greenpeace activist Gareth Hughes – in full \u2018Ronald McDonald<\/a>\u2019 regalia – was arrested for chaining himself to the gates of McDonalds<\/a>\u2019 distribution centre in Wiri, Auckland, in protest at the company\u2019s use of GE soya fed chickens. <\/p>\n

<\/section><\/div>\n

\u2018Ronald\u2019 was led to a police car wearing a mocked-up chain and was driven away to be charged with disorderly conduct at the local police station. A photograph of a glum-faced \u2018Ronald\u2019 staring out of the window of the police car appeared around the world and it became one of Greenpeace\u2019s most iconic protest actions. Once again, as Gareth Hughes recalls, \u201cSteve Abel was the genius behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"Greenpeace
Greenpeace activist Gareth Hughes dressed as \u2018Ronald McDonald\u2019 being driven away by police after his arrest for chaining himself to the gates of McDonalds<\/a>\u2019 distribution centre in Wiri, Auckland, 11 May 2004<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

“While the campaign has been humorous and good natured the issue itself is a serious environmental one,” said Greenpeace GE Campaigner Steve Abel. “GE crops have led to an increase in herbicide use, lower yields, weed problems, and contamination of conventional and organic crops.”<\/p>\n\n

McDonald\u2019s goes GE-Free<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Two weeks later McDonalds New Zealand announced that it was seeking a non-GE feed supply for its chicken products and would shift over as soon as it could to GE-free chicken feed. Greenpeace\u2019s \u2018Ronald McDonald\u2019 campaign had worked.<\/p>\n\n

In retrospect, Greenpeace\u2019s campaign against GE technology and GE foods was successful in pushing the NZ Government to establish and extend the GE moratorium for three-and-a-half years from April 2000 to October 2003 while the Royal Commission on GE technology ran its course and reported back to the Government. <\/p>\n\n

The campaign also s\ucceeded in helping to create a mass public mobilisation in opposition to GE technology and GE foods.<\/p>\n\n

Using a combination of consumer-led pressure and well-timed creative direct actions targeting big brands such as McDonalds that caught the public imagination, it was highly effective in persuading companies and retailers to adopt GE-Free policies and to sell only GE-Free foods.<\/p>\n\n

Steve Abel continued to lead the GE Campaign until 2005, when he became Greenpeace\u2019s Climate Campaigner. After several more years with Greenpeace, Gareth Hughes went on to stand for Parliament and became a Green Party MP (2010-2020).<\/p>\n\n

The People’s Moratorium<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

The Labour-led Coalition Government didn’t have the courage to convert the moratorium into a full ban on GE releases, but the campaign was won anyway. The Clark Government was forced to update HSNO to make it harder to get approval for GE outside the lab and the so-called People’s Moratorium<\/a> has meant Aotearoa has been GE Free ever since.<\/p>\n\n

The campaign was won in the court of public opinion, and to this day, our GE Free status is highly valued, including by primary producers who have found it to be an important point of difference in overseas markets.<\/p>\n\n

The inside story of why Helen Clark\u2019s Labour-led Coalition Government chose not to make the ban official has yet to be told publicly. They appear to have tried to \u2018park the issue\u2019 to buy time with a long, drawn-out Royal Commission process during the GE moratorium, perhaps in the hope that public opposition to GE technology and GE foods would subside. It did not.<\/p>\n\n

\"Greenpeace
Greenpeace activists protest against the government’s cover up of a GE corn contamination. The activists followed Labour Party leader Helen Clark during the 2002 election campaign, dressed in corn cans labelled \u201cClarkies’ corn coverup\u201d.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Greenpeace\u2019s GE Campaign, Toxics Campaign, and Climate Campaign all shone a spotlight on different aspects of the environmental impacts of NZ agriculture in the 1990s.<\/p>\n\n

In the 2000s, the environmental impacts of NZ agriculture became an increasingly important issue for Greenpeace, resulting in Gordon Jackman writing a report on ecological agriculture in 2006 to help guide Greenpeace\u2019s future campaign work. That work continues today through Greenpeace\u2019s Agriculture Campaign.<\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greenpeace started working on the genetic engineering (GE) issue in 1992. Initially it was part of the work undertaken by Pesticides Campaigner Meriel Watts. That year, Greenpeace applied for a review of two GE field trial applications near Gisborne. As a result of Greenpeace\u2019s intervention, the two field trial applications were not approved, and the case highlighted the fact that NZ had no legislation protecting the environment and human health from the commercial importation and exploitation of GE organisms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":1373,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/evergreen.php","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_hide_page_title_checkbox":"on","p4_title":"","p4_subtitle":"","p4_description":"","background_image_id":"","background_image":"","p4_button_title":"","p4_button_link":"","p4_button_link_checkbox":"","p4_og_title":"A history of Greenpeace's Genetic Engineering campaign in Aotearoa from 1990 to 2020, via @greenpeaceNZ","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"not set","p4_local_project":"not set","p4_basket_name":"not set","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1360","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-greenpeace"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1360"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1818,"href":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1360\/revisions\/1818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/history.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}