The Bill passed its first reading in Parliament at the end of last year, with support from the governing parties and public submissions closed on February 17.

More than 1700 were received and the Health Committee will now consider them before presenting a report to Parliament in June.

Martin said past innovation alone was not enough to sustain the industry’s future growth.

“The global apple and pear market is worth approximately $130b, yet New Zealand accounts for less than 1% of that in market share,” he said.

“The only way we are going to continue to compete globally is through innovation.

“But traditional breeding takes 15-to-20 years to develop a commercially viable variety.”

Martin said gene editing could dramatically shorten the timeline and the technology offered growers a real opportunity to tackle climate change, pest and disease pressures, consumer demand for fruit grown with fewer chemical inputs.

The market was increasingly valuing superior taste, texture, and nutritional benefits.

“This legislation will help our apple and pear industry stay ahead of global competitors while meeting the evolving needs of consumers, growers, and the environment,” he said.

“The continued success of our apple and pear industry relies on staying at the forefront of science.”

Hawke’s Bay MPs Catherine Wedd and Katie Nimon support the Bill. Wedd said it was hugely significant for Hawke’s Bay’s growers.

“Our horticulture industry is the powerhouse of New Zealand and generates thousands of jobs in our region,” Wedd said.

“Gene technologies will provide further tools to innovate, drive economic growth and meet climate targets.”

Nimon said the new legislation would allow for greater use of gene technology while, ensuring strong protections for the health and safety of people and the environment.

“This is set to have a lasting positive impact for our farmers and growers in Hawke’s Bay,” she said.

Waipukurau resident Phyllis Tichinin, an eco-nutritionist and a regenerative farming consultant, said the Bill would be “economic suicide”.

She cited a New Zealand Institute of Economic Research study in late November which said its best projection was that the impact of this Bill would cost New Zealand $10b to $20b a year in lost revenue.

That was because of lost overseas premiums that New Zealand receives for producing non-GMO food, Tichinin said.

The institute is an independent economic consultancy group based in Wellington.

“I think we underestimate how much the world values what we have and I can see no reason for opening up the floodgates with this kind of legislation which allows swarms of genetic engineering,” Tichinin continues.

“What’s being proposed is very much profit exploitation-driven and it’s highly insensitive to what it will do to New Zealand’s standing in the market and in turn our economy and our returns and our quality of life.”

Tichinin said people needed to look beyond the Government press release.

“I’m seeing broken promises and a lot of hype,” she said.

Chief executive of Hawke’s Bay Regional Economic Development Agency Lucy Laitinen said the region, like the rest of the country, faces a productivity challenge.

“We have a strong export orientation as a region and the good news is we have been seeing gains in productivity, including in the horticulture sector,” Laitinen said.

“Recent investment in this sector, such as new automation technologies in pack houses, is helping drive productivity gains.

“We need to lift our research and technology game to keep up with technological developments happening in other countries. That means pulling out all the stops to support innovation so in that sense, a careful rethink of our gene editing regime, in particular, is timely.”

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region.