Executive Summary

Background

Toi te Taiao: the Bioethics Council (the Council) was established in 2002, by a Cabinet Minute, as an independent advisory body reporting to the Minister for the Environment. The goal of the Council is:

To enhance New Zealand’s understanding of the cultural, ethical and spiritual aspects of biotechnology, and ensure that the use of biotechnology has regard for the values held by New Zealanders.

The Council’s terms of reference direct it to provide information on the cultural, ethical and spiritual aspects of biotechnology, to promote public dialogue, and provide independent advice to the Government, on these matters.

Two major dialogue events have taken place, with the subsequent reports to Government being The Cultural, Ethical and Spiritual Dimensions of the Use of Human Genes in Other Organisms (August 2004) and The Cultural, Ethical and Spiritual Aspects of Animal-to-Human Transplantation: A report on xenotransplantation (October 2005).

Resources

The Council currently has 10 members, four of whom are Maori, and one unfilled position. It is serviced by a small secretariat housed within the Ministry for the Environment. The secretariat is thus able to draw on the Ministry’s administration and communications resources. As part of the Ministry, it must meet public service standards and follow the procedures and regulations of the Ministry.

The annual budget is $1.5 million, and covers secretariat salaries, operational expenses, Ministry overheads and Council members’ honoraria.

The two major dialogue projects carried out have demonstrated the very considerable resources of time and commitment required. This high workload has at times placed a considerable burden on both staff and council members and has led to changes in both the Council and secretariat.

Future work

The Council recently developed a strategic plan for 2005 – 2008 and from this the annual plan for 2005/06.

Future work includes:

• Tikanga and Biotechnology, where the Council will explore with a range of Maori their views on the interface between biotechnology and tikanga and the relationship between matauranga Maori and technological science.
• A number of issues to do with embryos, including a substantive submission to the Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ACART).
• An analysis of the current state of genetic testing.
• A summary of New Zealanders’ values, from research already conducted.
• A dialogue on the implications of new and emerging biotechnologies.

Review of Toi te Taiao: the Bioethics Council

When the Council was established in 2002, Cabinet indicated that it required a review after two years.

According to a draft paper by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE), “the terms of the review were not specified in the Cabinet paper or Minute but the purpose was to provide an opportunity to consider whether there was any value in establishing the Bioethics Council as a statutory or more formal independent body or altering its TOR in any way.”

The Council was invited by MfE to contribute to the Terms of Reference for the Review. The proposal put forward to the Ministry for the Environment is attached as Annex 4.

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