5 March 2008 Letter to Stakeholders and Interested Parties
8 March 2008
Kia ora
Bioprospecting: 2008 Work Programme
As a follow up to last year’s bioprospecting discussion, I wish to share with you our work programme for 2008, and to seek nominations for four proposed working groups. Our intention with the work programme is to advance research and analysis into the potential benefits and impacts from bioprospecting activity, while we continue to think about how to best tailor a bioprospecting policy framework for New Zealand’s needs.
A clear message from a number of you who we met last year, was that we should wait for the Waitangi Tribunal’s report on the Wai 262 claim before we put any specific bioprospecting policy in place. We acknowledge that the Tribunal’s report will be very valuable, and look forward to its release, which we understand may be some time this year. But we also heard a number of you say that there are actions we should be taking now to stop inappropriate activities and to be in a better position to realise the opportunities that bioprospecting offers. Our 2008 work programme is therefore designed to advance a shared understanding on some particular priority areas.
As a first, and immediate action, we will be commissioning an audit of bioprospecting activities in New Zealand. This is to provide a clearer base-line picture of the level of current and historic activities, and the benefits and costs that are already occurring, and which would reasonably be expected in the future. Organisations that you are involved in may be contacted as part of this audit. The resulting report will be made available on the MED’s bioprospecting website when completed, hopefully around mid year.
At the same time, we wish to begin establishing focused working groups to share information and work together to develop options in four areas identified through our 2007 discussion as a priority. These areas are:
- New Zealand’s approach to negotiations on an international regime on access and benefit sharing under the Convention on Biological Diversity;
- opportunities offered by bioprospecting for enhancing New Zealand’s science sector, including outcomes for Maori;
- intellectual property rights, including their potential for protection and promotion of traditional knowledge; and
- precedent frameworks from overseas jurisdictions, including options for regulating inappropriate activity (but without over-regulating beneficial or traditional activities), and definitions of bioprospecting.
Our expectations with the working groups is that each will include a mix of expertise from Maori, science and research, biotechnology, and local and environmental groups. Government agencies will be involved as required. We envisage that these groups will have a relatively tight focus, and consist of between five and ten members, plus government officials. It is envisaged that each of the four working groups will eventually report to a parent working group yet to be established.
We would like expressions of interest as to whether you or a representative of your group would like to participate in the working groups. Participation is likely to involve attendance at two to three meetings by June this year. We would hope that the workloads of the groups will not be onerous, though there may be some expectation of ongoing correspondence between meetings. All costs associated with travel to and from the working groups will be covered by the Ministry of Economic Development, though at this stage we are not envisaging that attendance fees will be paid.
We have attached a nomination form. The questions are to provide the Ministry of Economic Development with some initial information to help determine composition of the groups. Our intention is to achieve a mix of expertise on each group. In keeping the groups to a workable size, we may not be able to include everyone nominated.
If you are interested, please fill out the attached form either electronically (email to Soala Bryce on soala.bryce@med.govt.nz), or complete a printed hardcopy and post to Bioprospecting Team, c/- Soala Bryce, Ministry of Economic Development, P O Box 1473, Wellington. Nominations would be appreciated by 5.00pm Friday 28 March 2008, as our intention is to begin meetings by mid to late April. We will write to you again with details of the groups once established.
Back to Top