“Stopping the Corporate Takeover of Our Food - Support Lisa Er's Petition! - 10 July 2025

Kia Ora, Whānau!

The Gene Technology Bill is nothing but a corporate wish list wrapped in science jargon. It's time to take a stand.

Lisa Er, the visionary behind Lisa's Hummus, has launched a crucial petition calling for Parliament to halt the Gene Technology Bill and establish a Commission of Inquiry. This petition isn't just about policy - it's about protecting our whānau, our whenua, and our whakapapa from a corporate science experiment that threatens everything we hold dear.

Why This Matters to Tangata Whenua

The Gene Technology Bill is a textbook example of neoliberal colonization disguised as progress. It completely undermines Te Tiriti o Waitangi by forcing decisions about our taonga species without meaningful Māori consultation. The Bill ignores kaitiakitanga principles and treats our sacred relationship with te taiao as if it's just another business opportunity.

As Jessica Hutchins from Te Waka Kai Ora powerfully states, genetic modification is fundamentally a Treaty issue, not something governments can decide outside of Treaty partnerships. The Bill's proposed Māori advisory committee has no real power - it's just tokenism designed to give the appearance of consultation while corporations maintain control.

The Corporate Agenda Exposed

This Bill isn't about feeding the world or fighting climate change. It's about corporate control over our food system. Six massive corporations control 58% of the global seed market and 78% of pesticide sales. They want to turn New Zealand into their testing ground because they know our current regulations actually work.

The biotechnology industry has been pushing this deregulation agenda for years. They've convinced politicians that removing safety barriers will somehow benefit everyone, when the only real beneficiaries are their shareholders. Meanwhile, farmers lose the right to save seeds, consumers lose the right to choose, and our environment becomes their laboratory.

Economic Colonization in Action

The Gene Technology Bill represents classic neoliberal economics - privatize the profits, socialize the risks. Corporations get to patent life forms and charge farmers for seeds that traditionally belonged to everyone. When something goes wrong, the public pays for the cleanup while companies walk away with their profits.

This economic model has devastated farming communities worldwide. GMO seeds cost 3-6 times more than conventional varieties, creating dependency relationships that trap farmers in cycles of debt. The promise of higher yields has proven false - studies show GMO crops often don't outperform traditional varieties.

The Science They Don't Want You to Know

The government claims this Bill is based on "sound science," but they're ignoring crucial evidence. Independent analysis suggests losing our GE-free status could cost New Zealand $10-20 billion annually in lost export premiums. Our clean, green brand is worth more than any biotech promises.

The Bill also violates international agreements, including the Aarhus Convention directives on public participation in environmental decision-making. Even the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification recommended proceeding with caution and maintaining public oversight - principles this Bill completely abandons.

White Supremacy in Scientific Clothing

The Gene Technology Bill perfectly demonstrates how white supremacy operates in modern policy-making. It treats Māori concerns about whakapapa and mauri as "cultural beliefs" that can be overridden by "objective science." This is the same colonial logic that has been used to justify environmental destruction for centuries.

The Bill's supporters dismiss Māori opposition to genetic modification as "backward thinking" rather than acknowledging the sophisticated worldview that recognizes interconnectedness and responsibility to future generations. They refuse to engage with the reality that many Māori have consistently opposed GMOs since the technology was first proposed.

Lisa Er's Leadership

Lisa Er isn't just a successful businesswoman - she's a fighter who understands how corporate power operates. Her company Lisa's Hummus built its competitive advantage on being preservative and GE-free, proving that New Zealand businesses can thrive by maintaining our clean, green reputation.

Lisa knows that this Bill represents a generational shift that will hand control of our food system to multinational corporations. Her petition calling for a Commission of Inquiry is exactly what's needed - proper public consultation rather than this rushed corporate agenda.

Take Action Now

This is our moment to stand up to corporate colonization. Sign Lisa Er's petition and demand that Parliament halt this dangerous Bill. Our export markets in Asia and Europe are increasingly demanding GE-free products, and we risk losing billions if we abandon our current position.

More importantly, we need to protect our rights as tangata whenua and tangata tiriti to make decisions about our own food system. The Gene Technology Bill is designed to remove those rights and hand them to corporate boardrooms in America and Europe.

The Māori Green Lantern fighting misinformation and disinformation from the far right

The Path Forward

We need a Commission of Inquiry that includes meaningful Māori participation, genuine public consultation, and independent economic analysis. We need to examine the real costs and benefits rather than accepting corporate propaganda. Most importantly, we need to maintain our precautionary approach that has served us well for nearly 30 years.

The biotechnology industry has had decades to prove their promises, and they've failed. GMO crops haven't increased yields, haven't reduced pesticide use, and haven't fed the world. What they have done is concentrate power in the hands of a few corporations and make farmers dependent on patented seeds.

This fight isn't just about genetic modification - it's about who gets to make decisions about our future. The Gene Technology Bill represents everything wrong with neoliberal colonization: corporate interests disguised as public good, economic arguments that ignore social costs, and science that refuses to acknowledge indigenous knowledge.

Lisa Er's petition gives us the chance to say no to this corporate takeover. Sign it, share it, and make sure your whānau understands what's at stake. Our children and grandchildren deserve a food system that serves their interests, not corporate profits.

For those who can support this crucial work, please consider making a koha to: HTDM: 03-1546-0415173-000. The MGL understands these are tough economic times for whānau, so please only contribute if you have the capacity and wish to do so.

Kia kaha, whānau. The fight for our food sovereignty starts now.

Ngā mihi,

Ivor Jones The Māori Green Lantern

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