5 April 2001

Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons today said said she was absolutely delighted at tonight's decision by the Nelson City Council to declare Nelson GE-Free.

"The entire Green Party offer our warmest congratulations to Nelson for a visionary move which gives real substance to the region's clean, green and natural reputation," she said.

"It will be interesting to see how the city will implement this decision in practice. For example it could make the growing of GE crops and field trials a prohibited activity in the next district plan. It could also insist that its caterers always supply GE free food for Council functions.

"Nelsonians should be proud of this decision. Nelson epitomises what makes New Zealand such a great place to live - it is beautiful, free-spirited and no place for GE."

Ms Fitzsimons said the Nelson move showed that local communities didn't have to wait for the Government to decide on the future of New Zealand.

"Cities and towns can take control of their own boundaries by following Nelson's lead and declaring themselves GE-Free. One by one they will add up until the whole of the land is one big GE-Free zone, which comes from the heart of the people.

Ms Fitzsimons said being GE-Free offered a huge economic advantage for New Zealand.

"With mad cow disease and foot and mouth rampant in Europe, food safety has become the biggest worry for consumers. They want to buy clean green food, not low-cost, high-tech food which has been manipulated by scientists."

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