Dialogue and why it is needed in NZ

In advising the Government about the ethical, cultural and spiritual views of New Zealanders in relation to biotechnology, Toi te Taiao: the Bioethics Council will base its advice on dialogue with New Zealanders.

Towards a New Zealand process for dialogue

The Bioethics Council recognises that New Zealanders must be given every opportunity to participate in shaping cultural, ethical and spiritual decisions around biotechnology.

The Council will make every effort to tailor processes for dialogue that are suitable for New Zealand, including the following considerations:

• That New Zealanders feel passionate about certain issues, such as the nuclear issue.
• That different groups within New Zealand have different communication needs.
• The significance of Maori and the Treaty.
• That New Zealand has a large number of small communities.
• That New Zealanders are well-educated and thoughtful people.
• That New Zealand has a number of different ethnic groups.

Why dialogue is needed

Rapidly emerging technologies challenge societies

The rapid emergence of new technologies, especially biotechnologies, challenge the ways in which people and societies think about:

• Their existence.
• Their relationships to self and others.
• Their environment.
• Their future.

Citizens have a role in decision making

Governments, academics and other commentators in New Zealand and internationally have recognised that a country's citizens have a role to play in decision-making about whether to implement certain technologies. Such decisions cannot just be left to governments, business, scientists and technologists alone.

Governments need to know communities' views

Over the years governments have increasingly used various methods of consultation to seek the views of communities on important issues. However, consultation may be perceived as a means whereby those doing the consulting set the agenda, frame the questions and narrow the possible responses to suit their own purposes. True or not, consultation does have real limitations. For communities to actively engage on the important issues, other ways of constructing conversations are needed.

About 'dialogue'

In a dialogue,

"...nobody is trying to win. In dialogue there is no attempt to gain points, or to make your particular point of view prevail....But a dialogue is something more of a common participation, in which we are not playing a game against each other, but with each other. In a dialogue everybody wins. Dialogue is really aimed at going into the whole thought processes and changing the way the thought process occurs collectively."
David Bohm