My home is New Zealand: a land of stunning landscapes, a small population, and a reputation for being a bit of a global outlier — geographically and culturally. But could this isolated island nation be on the cusp of a more controversial role? Is it possible that New Zealand is being quietly groomed to become the genetic engineering (GE) biolab for the rest of the world? It is a question worth asking, especially as global tides shift, public unease grows, and our government pushes forward with unprecedented enthusiasm for GE research and legislation.
Please read this article, which I updated this morning:
Gain-of-Function Research is Running Out of Homes
Let's start with the bigger picture. Gain-of-function (GOF) research — where scientists tweak pathogens to make them more dangerous or transmissible — has long been a lightning rod. In theory, regulators in places like the USA and the European Union have imposed strict limits or outright bans on such work due to its risks. Yet, evidence suggests this has not stopped the practice — it has simply been outsourced to dodgy places. The Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, funded by laundered money by the USA's government, is now thought to be the most likely place where COVID-19 came from. Biolabs in Ukraine, some of which were reported by Russian forces, are also examples.
These cases fuel a nagging suspicion: when the heat gets too high in one place, powerful interests find ways to shift the risk elsewhere. For them, they risk being caught in a perverse version of Whack-a-Mole.
Now, enter the post-Covid world. The pandemic, with its murky laboratory-origin theories, has left the public wary — not just of GOF research, but of genetic engineering in general.
Add to that the political revolution taking place in the United States: Donald Trump's return to the presidency. The rise of the Doge (Department of Government Efficiency) and its exposing of unbelievable corruption, and the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal sceptic of unchecked biotech, to a prominent role. The GE industry, facing scrutiny and crackdowns, might be looking for a new home to survive — and thrive. Could New Zealand, far-flung and separated by vast oceans, be that perfect haven. Has the deep state and the politicians they have in their pockets, in the US, the EU, and other countries already quietly agreed to it.
Why New Zealand? A Sheepish Population, but With a First-World Edge
New Zealanders pride themselves on their independence, but recent years have revealed a more compliant side. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation endured some of the world's longest lockdowns, strict vaccine mandates, and sweeping state controls — measures met with remarkably little resistance. I hate to say this, but to an outsider, this might look like a sheepish population conditioned to follow orders. This soemthing that could appeal to industries needing a stable, predictable environment for controversial work. Couple that with New Zealand's (declining) First World infrastructure, and a relatively well-educated workforce, and you have got a good place to relocate your biolabs.
But it is not just about temperament. New Zealand's isolation is a strategic goldmine for GE industries and their key negotiating point, by industry with the likes of Donald Trump. Thousands of kilometres of ocean separate us from prying eyes and potential fallout — biological, political, and war. If something goes wrong, the risks are contained, far from the power and population centres of North America, Europe, or Asia. The disarmed people of New Zealand will comply, and they will tolerate a lockdown or two here and there.
If you think what I am speculating about here is outrageous and will never happen, just take a closer look at the Gene Technologies Bill:
https://hatchardreport.com/major-alert-new-zealand-government-is-enshrining-medical-mandates-in-law/
It is a tantalising prospect for an industry under pressure to soften up New Zealand, get legislation in place by stealth, or by force, and:
Move their labs to the edge of the world, where regulatory oversight is favourable, and dissent is easy to manage, and the great powers (USA, China, the EU, etc) can feel safe.
Massive Investment and Legislative Zeal
New Zealand's political landscape is buzzing with enthusiasm for gene editing (GE), a shift that is hard to overlook. The National Party, alongside coalition partners ACT and NZ First, campaigned on lifting what they called an "effective ban" on GE, a pledge now materialising with the Gene Technology Bill introduced in 2024. Science Minister Judith Collins pitches it as a necessary alignment with nations like Australia, emphasising potential benefits for health, climate, and the economy. Yet, for a country without an urgent demand for GE crops or therapies, the fervour seems excessive.
This makes people wonder about the real reasons for this plan. Could New Zealand be setting itself up as a testing ground or safe place for a biotech industry that is facing intense opposition elsewhere?
The push forward is not without opposition, but dissenting voices appear to be sidelined. Public concern flared during submission deadlines for the bill, with groups like GE Free NZ and Dr. Guy Hatchard decrying it as a "reckless revolution" that risks unlabelled GMOs, environmental harm, and even coercive measures like forced vaccination.
https://hatchardreport.com/major-alert-new-zealand-government-is-enshrining-medical-mandates-in-law/
Local councils, once empowered to maintain GE-free zones under the Resource Management Act, are losing that autonomy under this legislation. Despite this outcry, the government presses on, hinting at either political overconfidence or a deliberate effort to satisfy influential global players. The speed and scale of the legislative overhaul suggest that economic or international pressures might outweigh the wishes of the citizens of New Zealand.
On the ground, New Zealand is witnessing a biotech boom that amplifies these suspicions. Many large investments have been made into Crown Research Institutes like AgResearch and Scion. These projects include gene-edited Douglas fir trees to fight wilding pines and a Timaru factory built to make millions of mRNA doses for plants, animals, and humans. Plant & Food Research is also advancing GE crop breeding, while a new P2 lab in Nelson studies diseases like Zika and Dengue — odd choices for a nation free of such threats.
Read this and be horrified:
Are they risking releasing a dreaded Gene Genie into New Zealand's pristine environment? Just one accidental release may signal the end of our food exports.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment is leading the charge to change the rules — and why them? They want to create a special GE regulator by late 2025, with millions of dollars in funding, and enormous powers.
Critics say this fast-tracked plan, like the abandoned Therapeutic Products Act, could allow for unlimited experimentation with little oversight. I agree. This makes many people wonder: why here, and why now?
A Thought Experiment: What If?
Let's play this out. Imagine the GE industry, battered by scandals (COVID19), wars (Ukraine), and regulatory threats (RFK Jr), seeking a new frontier. New Zealand fits the bill: isolated, compliant, and eager to boost its export economy. Investment grows, biolabs grow — Nelson, Christchurch, or even rural Waikato — and now we are not just growing kiwifruit, but creating viruses, crops, and treatments for the world. The COVID-19 lab-origin debate becomes a distant memory as New Zealand proves it can handle the hot potato without burning the world. Hey - if something horrific like a GE-rabies bioweapon escapes the lab, who cares — it is just five million dead people far away at the bottom of the world! I will bet most people could not even find NZ on the map.
But at what cost or our foolhardiness and sheepishness? Our clean, green image — already strained — could take a massive and fatal hit. Export markets that want products without GMOs might not want any more of our produce, as the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research has warned. They already think we will lose up to $12 billion if we lose our GE-free status. And what about the risks of any kind of lab leak in a country with a fragile ecosystem? The 2025 timeline for the Gene Technology Bill and its all-powerful regulator feels like a sprint — too fast for comfort, too convenient for coincidence.
Questions for New Zealanders
I am not here to tell you what to think — I am asking you to join me in questioning.
Is New Zealand's GE push just a natural evolution of science, or are we being set up as the world's biolab guinea pig?
Why the sudden investment?
Why the legislative haste?
And why, in a nation that prides itself on purity and independence, are we so quick to embrace an industry others are shying away from?
The answers are not clear, but the stakes are high. As Trump, RFK Jr., and global scepticism reshape the biotech world, New Zealand is at a crossroads. Are we innovators — or hapless pawns to be sacrificed without care? Share your thoughts below, and let's keep digging.
You can write to the leaders of the political parties, and their MPs, especially those in NZ First. Express your concerns about the Gene Technology Bill, and ask that it be withdrawn. If we can convince them to oppose the laws that the biotech industry must have, we will win this battle, although not the war.
Here is the list of NZ First email addresses to contact (Be polite while being firm):
Keep strong!
Hi Gary.
Great blog.
I totally agree with you on this.
I arrived in NZ in 1987 from the UK.
I came over to work in construction.
At that time NZ was considered 20yrs behind the UK.
In the area of monumental cock ups in policy from the powers that be.
It didn't take long for me to realize that the attitude of she'll be right was going to be the downfall of this country .
Today we are leading the world in
Social and medical research on live experiments with real humans.
The last ten years has been a master class of manipulation of the masses.
We are in Orwellian times, led by
Career political leaders who's only concern…
Hi Gary, I think you are correct in your views here. 75 to 80% of Kiwis were vaccinated by a Covid vax with an EXPERIMENTAL C19 Vax in it's title, hence 5 billion approximately took part in the biggest experiment in history. We all know the outcome now and are seeing ever increasing sickness (not tapering off but ramping up!) It appears Luxon is lining up 5 million Kiwi crash test dummies to participate in BioTech and not a word in protest will be tolerated as our Bill of Rights is completely ignored. Where do the sheep go from here?😨