Media Release from:
Ministry of Research, Science and Technology
18 November 2005
New website offers easy-to-use guide to biotech regulations
The Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (MoRST) has launched a new resource for researchers working in
biotechnology – a guide to the regulations governing this important area of science.
The Biotech Regulatory Wayfinder website provides an easy-to-use guide to biotechnology regulations, allowing
researchers to trace the regulatory path they must take for the particular product or application they are working on
and to easily find the information they are looking for.
The Chief Executive of MoRST, Dr Helen Anderson says the Ministry set up the web resource because it recognised some of
the problems researchers faced because various biotechnology applications are covered by more than one set of rules and
regulations.
“Food products come under separate legislation from human medicines, while medicines being developed for use on animals
are governed by yet another law.
Researchers working with living organisms are subject to different regulations depending on whether or not the organism
is new to New Zealand”, Dr Anderson says.
“We’ve devised the website, in consultation with other government agencies, to be interactive so that anyone using it
can find out exactly what regulatory steps are relevant to their particular application. In addition to detailed
descriptions of regulatory processes and requirements the site uses graphics to summarise key regulatory steps to
provide an at-a-glance overview.
“We’ve put the site through extensive testing by potential users and as a result are confident it will help even
first-time applicants prepare high-quality applications to the relevant regulatory authorities, so reducing the delays
and increased costs that can accompany the regulatory process.”
The site is also designed to provide information for teachers, students and anyone else who wants to know how, and why,
the Government regulates biotechnology.
The Biotech Regulatory Wayfinder can be found at www.morst.govt.nz/wayfinder
ENDS