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"Corngate" was a political scandal which took place in New Zealand in 2002 and involved the suspected release of genetically modified maize (corn) seed in 2000.
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Administrator of General elections Cultural depictions | ||
"Corngate" was a political scandal which took place in New Zealand in 2002 and involved the suspected release of genetically modified maize (corn) seed in 2000.
The possibility of the presence of a small percentage of GE corn in a seed shipment from the U.S. was raised publicly by Nicky Hager in his book Seeds of Distrust . [1] The percentage was found well after sowing to be above "allowable limits" of contamination - the allowable limit being zero as the question of the accidental presence of GE content or the unreliability of low level testing had not been considered. The results showing GE contamination were later seen as being a PCR artifact, likely being due to contamination of the samples rather than the corn.
It became politically important due to the New Zealand Green Party stance on genetically engineered crops. The ruling Labour Party policy regarding GE research was brought into the argument allowing Corngate to become an election issue as the book, Seeds of Distrust was released a few months prior to the 2002 Parliamentary elections.
A select committee, including members of the Green Party, was formed to investigate the matter. Green Party statements claim the committee was "obstructed" by Syngenta refusing to release test results. [2] The final report, released in late 2004, was inconclusive due to a lack of clear evidence, poor reporting in the original incident and the deletion of raw data critical for a full re-evaluation. Scientific assessment highlighted a lack of rigor in the testing procedures at that time and noted failures in the administration and interpretation of the results by the regulatory body, the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA).
The incident also highlighted the problems of testing for the presence of GMOs down to a regulatory level of zero when all available detection methods have a relatively high base threshold before results become unreliable.
The scandal was further intensified when news anchor John Campbell interviewed Prime Minister Helen Clark about the issue. [3] It ended with Clark labelling Campbell a "sanctimonious little creep" due to what she considered the ambush style of the interview. [4] The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) later ruled that the infamous "Corngate" interview was unbalanced, unfair and lacked impartiality and objectivity. [5]
Corngate is one of many scandals suffixed with "-gate", ultimately originating from the Watergate scandal in U.S. politics.
Genetically modified maize (corn) is a genetically modified crop. Specific maize strains have been genetically engineered to express agriculturally-desirable traits, including resistance to pests and to herbicides. Maize strains with both traits are now in use in multiple countries. GM maize has also caused controversy with respect to possible health effects, impact on other insects and impact on other plants via gene flow. One strain, called Starlink, was approved only for animal feed in the US but was found in food, leading to a series of recalls starting in 2000.
Donald Thomas Brash is a former New Zealand politician who was Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the New Zealand National Party from October 2003 to November 2006, and the Leader of ACT New Zealand from April to November 2011.
The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party in terms of seats won, the 2020 election would see it suffer a greater defeat in terms of net loss of seats.
Nicky Hager is a New Zealand investigative journalist. He has produced seven books since 1996, covering topics such as intelligence networks, environmental issues and politics. He is one of two New Zealand members of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
The 2005 New Zealand election funding controversy occurred in the aftermath of the 2005 New Zealand general election.
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Helen Elizabeth Clark is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was New Zealand's fifth-longest-serving prime minister, and the second woman to hold that office.
Cathy Odgers is a New Zealand-born, Hong Kong-based former blogger and lawyer who is best known for running a smear campaign against the head of the New Zealand Serious Fraud Office. She published the Cactus Kate blog, and wrote the fortnightly Cactus Kate column in The Dominion Post from 2006 to 2009.
Paul Jonathan Goldsmith is a New Zealand politician and, since the 2011 election, a list member of the New Zealand House of Representatives. He is the education spokesperson for the National Party.
Seeds of Distrust: The Story of a GE Cover-up was a study of government processes and decision making under New Zealand's Labour-led government written by Nicky Hager. The setting was an incident in November 2000, during the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification, when government officials were alerted to evidence of an accidental release of genetically modified corn plants, which was illegal under New Zealand law. The book traces the stages of industry lobbying and government decision making leading up to a decision to regard the incident as insignificant and keep it secret from the public.
The Waihopai Station is a secure communication facility, located near Blenheim, run by New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau. The station started operating in 1989, and collects data that is then shared with New Zealand's allies. In 2021, it was announced that the parts of the station would be deconstructed and removed from the site. Several protests and disputes surrounding its use and the wider implications of the information gathered has gained the facility some local and international notoriety.
The StarLink corn recalls occurred in the autumn of 2000, when over 300 food products were found to contain a genetically modified corn that had not been approved for human consumption. It was the first-ever recall of a genetically modified food. The anti-GMO activist coalition Genetically Engineered Food Alert, which detected and first reported the contamination, was critical of the FDA for not doing its job. The recall of Taco Bell-branded taco shells, manufactured by Kraft Foods and sold in supermarkets, was the most publicized of the recalls. One settlement resulted in $60 million going to Taco Bell franchisees for lost sales due to the damage to the Taco Bell brand.
Dirty Politics: How attack politics is poisoning New Zealand’s political environment is a book by Nicky Hager published in August 2014.
Craig Potton is a New Zealand photographer, environmentalist, businessman, publisher, and founder of the New Zealand publishing company Potton & Burton. Potton, who resides in Nelson, has been active in local government, and stood as a Green candidate in the 1999 and 2002 general elections.
The New Zealand National Party leadership election was an election for the National Party leadership position held in 2003.
This article discusses topics relating to genetic engineering within Oceania. Currently New Zealand and Australia require labeling so consumers can exercise choice between foods that have genetically modified, conventional, or organic origins.
Brash: A Biography is a biography of New Zealand politician and economist Don Brash. The book was written by Paul Goldsmith and released in 2005. In 2006, investigative journalist Nicky Hager released a book The Hollow Men, which revealed the book was commissioned by the National Party.