Pursuant to section 26 of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 (“Act”), the Environmental Protection Authority hereby determines that a null segregant, defined as–

any living eukaryotic organism (other than a human being) that:

1. is descended from one or more genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that are new organisms solely by virtue of being GMOs as defined in the Act; and
2. is descended via sexual reproduction from its GMO parent(s) and allelic segregation from its GMO sibling(s); or
3. is descended or otherwise derived, whether sexually or asexually, through any number of replications, from a null segregant progenitor(s); and
4. does not contain in vitro-modified genes or other genetic material that is not exempted in regulation and that defined its ancestor(s) as a GMO(s)

does not meet the definition of a genetically modified organism in the Act, and thus cannot be considered to be a new organism for the purpose of the Act solely by virtue of the criteria of section 2A(1)(d) of the Act.

Dated at Wellington this 24th day of January 2024.

PETER CRESSEY, Chair, Decision-making Committee of the Authority.