New Zealand Citizen Launches Petition Over Health And Environmental Concerns In Two NZ Bills

A concerned New Zealand resident has launched a public petition using the hashtag #noharmtofood, urging the public to oppose two NZ government proposals: one to increase allowable glyphosate levels in food by up to 100 times, and another to deregulate gene technology used in agriculture — allowing pesticide-resistant gene-edited crops into our soil and food system via the Gene Technology Bill.

"This is a personal, citizen-led petition," the petitioner explains, "not backed by any organisation. I'm doing this because I care about the health of our people and the long-term future of our environment."

"I'm deeply concerned by the confusion over these two bills — many are not sure what they represent, or are completely unaware that the law could be about to change concerning food."

Glyphosate Levels Set to Increase Up to 100x in Common Grains

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is proposing a dramatic increase in the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for glyphosate — the controversial herbicide marketed under around 90 brand names in NZ, including Roundup — in key food crops.

• Wheat, barley, and oats: Increase from 0.1 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg
• Dried field peas: Increase from 0.1 mg/kg to 6 mg/kg

This would represent a 100-fold increase, despite growing global concern over glyphosate's health effects.

New Research: Glyphosate Tumour Risk Even at Low Doses

A 2025 peer-reviewed study published in Environmental Health (Panzacchi et al.) found that chronic, low-dose glyphosate exposure caused a significant increase in leukaemia, liver, thyroid, and breast tumours in animal models — at exposure levels below current safety limits.

Independent research from the Ramazzini Institute, University of Washington, and others has linked glyphosate to:

• Hormone disruption
• Gut microbiome changes
• Oxidative organ damage
• Increased risks of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Prenatal impacts, including autism-like behaviours in animal studies
• Depression, hearing loss, and memory problems in human biomonitoring studies

In 2022, Environmental Health reported glyphosate was detected in 99% of pregnant women tested in the US, with higher levels linked to shorter pregnancies — a key risk factor for developmental problems.

Global Trend: Countries Moving Away from Glyphosate

Countries such as Vietnam, Germany, Austria, France, Mexico, Thailand, and many EU states have restricted or banned glyphosate or genetically modified (GM) crops designed to withstand it.

"Why is New Zealand heading in the opposite direction — increasing glyphosate levels, when global scientific consensus is urging more caution, not less?" the petitioner asks.

Gene Technology Bill Could Deregulate GMOs Without Oversight

The Gene Technology Bill, currently under development, would update New Zealand's regulations to allow gene editing and other GMO techniques used in agriculture — including the development of pesticide-resistant crops — with less regulatory oversight than is currently required.

Evidence from Argentina's GM-dominated agricultural zones shows alarming impacts:

• Cancer rates over 225% higher than national averages
• Spontaneous abortion and birth defect rates 2–3× higher than average
• Glyphosate detected in breast milk, drinking water, and rain

A Personal Call to Action — Not Organisational

The petition is explicitly personal and not connected to any commercial or political group. It is part of a growing wave of citizen-led resistance to chemical-intensive agriculture and regulatory rollbacks.

"New Zealand already has one of the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the world. We should be reducing exposure to harmful chemicals, not increasing it," the petition states.

The petitioner is calling for:

• A ban on glyphosate, or at a minimum, no increases to residue levels
• A shift toward organic and chemically spray-free farming policies over time
• This makes sense not just because of the serious health risks associated with non-organic farming, but also because it is a growing billion-dollar industry that should not be thwarted.

Sign the Petition: www.change.org/noharmtofood

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