Three Bills, One Big Picture. What the HSNO and ACVM Amendment Bills Mean for Organic
Three Bills, One Big Picture. What the HSNO and ACVM Amendment Bills Mean for Organic
If you've been hearing a lot about new legislation lately and wondering what it all means for organic and non-GMO farmers and food producers in Aotearoa New Zealand, you're not alone. Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of noise, and rightly so; these two new Amendment Bills concern us deeply. OANZ has been assembling a team of experts and carefully working through the details so we can help you to understand the consequences.
There are currently three bills moving through Parliament that, taken together, represent a significant shift in how the government regulates new organisms, agricultural chemicals, and genetic technologies. Understanding each one individually is important. But understanding how they connect is critical.
The Gene Technology Bill
The Gene Technology Bill has been at the centre of OANZ's advocacy for the past 18 months. In plain terms, it proposes to fundamentally change how New Zealand regulates genetic modification, the science of altering the DNA of living organisms. The Bill would relax New Zealand's gene technology regulations, allowing environmental release of GMOs.
Under current law, New Zealand takes a cautious, precautionary approach to GE. OANZ's position on this is unequivocal: genetic technologies must not be permitted for environmental release. This is not a fringe view. It is the firm position of the entire global organic sector and of non-GE farmers and producers across the motu.
The reason is straightforward and serious. Once a genetically modified organism is released into the environment, there is no taking it back. Unlike a recalled product or a repealed law, environmental release is irreversible. We do not yet fully understand the off-target effects, the unintended consequences of gene-edited organisms on our ecosystems, native species, soil health, and biodiversity, that could follow. And for organic farmers and producers, even trace contamination from GE material can cost them their certification and their markets. Once it's released, there is no calling it back.
This is why the Bill has attracted such unprecedented public opposition, and why OANZ has invested so heavily in advocacy against it. The stakes are high and permanent.
Current status: Stalled before its second reading. Around 15,000 people made public submissions on the Bill, with most opposing it. Coalition negotiations are ongoing, and a date for the second reading remains unconfirmed.
The HSNO Amendment Bill
HSNO stands for Hazardous Substances and New Organisms. The HSNO Act is the law that currently governs how new organisms, including genetically modified ones, are assessed and approved before they can be introduced into New Zealand. Think of it as the gatekeeper.
The HSNO Amendment Bill proposes to change how that gatekeeper operates. On the surface, the Government describes this as modernising an outdated law. There are some aspects of the Bill that OANZ supports, like improved cost recovery and stronger compliance tools. But buried in the details are changes that concern us deeply.
One of the most significant is a new power that would allow the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to quietly declare that a particular organism is no longer considered "new," meaning it could bypass the normal approval process entirely. This decision could be made by the EPA itself, with limited public oversight and limited requirements to consult. There is no clear definition of what "significant effects" means to trigger consultation, and the EPA would essentially be judging its own decisions.
OANZ is also concerned that parts of the HSNO Amendment Bill appear to have been written in anticipation of the Gene Technology Bill becoming law, even though that Bill has stalled and remains deeply contested. In other words, some of the groundwork for a more permissive GE regime is being laid now, before the main legislation has even passed.The submission deadline of 15 June falls before the incoming EPA Chief Executive takes office, which raises further questions about the pace and sequencing of these changes.
Current status: Open for public submissions until 11.59 pm, 15 June 2026.
The ACVM Amendment Bill
ACVM stands for Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines. This is the law that governs what agricultural chemicals and veterinary products can be used on farms and in food production in New Zealand, including everything from sprays and fertilisers to animal treatments and biologicals.
The ACVM Amendment Bill was introduced on 11 May and is designed to reduce barriers to innovative new products while managing associated risks proportionately. The Government's stated goal is to speed up access to products already approved overseas, reduce regulatory complexity, and help farmers and growers access new tools more quickly.
Some of this is reasonable in principle. But the detail matters enormously. A key change is enabling greater reliance on the assessments of trusted overseas regulators when evaluating risks and benefits, without clearly defining in law what makes a regulator "trusted," how that status is assessed, or how it might change over time. Given that some overseas jurisdictions have approved GE products that New Zealand has not, this creates a potential pathway for those products to enter our food system with reduced scrutiny, and potentially without the environmental release protections that New Zealand has maintained for three decades.
Current status: Open for public submissions until 11.59 pm, 15 June 2026.
Why all three bills matter together
Looked at individually, each bill can perhaps be framed as a reasonable, incremental update to existing law. But looked at together, a pattern emerges. The Gene Technology Bill proposes to fundamentally change the rules around GE. The HSNO Amendment Bill loosens the gatekeeping process for new organisms and introduces powers that appear to anticipate the passage of the Gene Technology Bill. The ACVM Amendment Bill opens faster pathways for overseas-approved agricultural products, including those from countries with more permissive GE regimes.
Together, these three bills create a layered, compounding risk for the organic sector and for all non-GE farmers, producers and consumers. Organic certification is built on trust and authenticity, and being GE-free is fundamental to both. Our recognised export markets, worth hundreds of millions of dollars to New Zealand’s economy, depend on it too. And the trust of consumers, both here and abroad, depends on clear, robust and transparent rules being in place and properly enforced.
Once GE is in the environment, it remains there. No clean-up, no recall, no reversal. And yet three interconnected bills are being advanced at pace, with no meaningful consultation with those most affected, and no critical analysis of the economic, environmental, social, or trade implications by the government. The public deserves better than legislation this consequential being waved through without scrutiny. This is not best practice or responsible lawmaking; it's a gamble with consequences that cannot be undone.
What OANZ is doing about it and your call to action.
We are currently writing formal submissions opposing the HSNO Amendment Bill and the ACVM Amendment Bill. We are calling on the Select Committee to slow down, consult more broadly, and address the interactions between the three bills openly and transparently before proceeding.
We are hosting a webinar on 10 June, 7.30 pm, where OANZ board member Scott Lawson, scientist Professor Jack Heinemann, and regulatory expert Marie Doole will walk through our findings and answer your questions.
Most importantly, we are calling on OANZ members, supporters, and our wider community to make a submission before 15 June. We will provide a submission template after the webinar to make that as straightforward as possible.