Toi Te Taiao: The Bioethics Council meeting minutes -  Monday, 5 November 2007

Held at Wellington Airport Conference Centre, Wellington

 Present:

• Martin Wilkinson (Chair)
• Helen Bichan
• Mark Fisher
• Rosemary Du Plessis
• Waiora Port
• Cordelia Thomas
• Moana Durie Sinclair
• Tahu Potiki
• Brett Stephenson
• Huia Tomlins-Jahnke.

The meeting commenced at 9.30 a.m.

1. Karakia and Welcome

Martin welcomed everyone to the meeting, and Waiora gave a karakia. She introduced the new Maori Member of the Council, Huia Tomlins- Jahnke and the new Maori Secretariat member, Moana Durie Sinclair. Martin welcomed them on behalf of the Council.

2. Apologies

Apologies were received from Marie Bismark, Eamon Daly, John Pennington, Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop and Simon Wright.

3. Minutes of Last Council Meeting

That the minutes of the meeting held on 3 September 2007 be accepted as a true and correct record and be placed on the website, with the following amendments:

• In item 2, amending Huia’s name to Huia Tomlins-Jahnke;
• In item 4, in the first Action List item, deleting the word “although”;
• On page 5, in the reference to Marie Bismark leaving the meeting, amending agenda item reference to “11.4”;
• In item 13, delete the word “form” and replace with the word “from”; and
• Removing references to individuals’ names attached to comments.

Martin / Rosemary - CARRIED

4. Matters Arising From Previous Minutes

Action List

Budget Working Group to meet by teleconference to discuss budget - Action carried forward

“Blue Skies” Discussion – Discussion scheduled at today’s meeting.

2008 Bioethics Conference  - Details have been circulated.

Contact Brian Donnelly about link with Royal Society’s forum – Done.
Pre-Birth Testing Project – Information sent out.

Choice Book – Drafted and sent to Council Members.

Evaluation Report – Report circulated.

Whether on-line dialogue can have the ability to save information so it could be returned to later – Done.

Advertising survey’s availability to secondary school teachers – This has been put on work programme.

Follow-up on arts project – Action item to be carried forward.

Liability Insurance – The Secretariat was in the process of obtaining a legal opinion from SSC and quote from an insurance company. Council agreed that quotations be sourced from a broker, and, in the meantime, the Chair would raise the issue with the Secretary for the Environment.

Action: Secretariat and Chair

5. Chair’s Report

The Chair reported on his meeting with the Secretary for the Environment-  the most significant result being progress on working together with the Ministry for the Environment on potential projects.

He also reported on successful meetings with politicians.

The Chair said that he would continue to pursue concerns about the need for better work conditions for the secretariat. Council Members strongly endorsed this.

Action: Martin

6. Letters from the Minister of Health and ACART

The Council discussed a letter from the Minister of Health inviting the Bioethics Council to lead a programme to inform and engage the public in issues of research involving human assisted reproductive technology. Council discussed issues of process involved in such a process, and looked forward to discussing this matter further when Therese Egan from the Ministry of Health joined the meeting later in the morning. 

7. Report from the Maori Working Group

Moana reported back on the recent meeting of the Maori Working Group. A major item of discussion at that meeting had been a request by Maui Hudson for access to the literature review (Tikanga Maori, Matauranga Maori and Bioethics) prepared for the Bioethics Council by Dr Wharehuia Hemara on behalf of Mauriora-ki-te-Ao / Living Universe Ltd, and elaborated on by Dr Charles Royal and Parekawhia Mclean. The Council agreed to give the report to Maui on the understanding that it only be circulated among his research group.

Also the working group would keep a watching-brief on claim Wai740 as it relates to claim Wai262.

Moana outlined the Maori media strategy on the Pre-birth Testing Project.

Therese Egan from Ministry of Health joined the meeting.

8. Therese Egan, Manager, Ministry of Health

Therese Egan discussed the Minister’s proposal with the Council and answered questions. She said that the Ministry saw the Bioethics Council as being the body that had the role and experience in engaging with the public on new biotechnologies.

Therese Egan left the meeting.

After further discussion, the Council asked the Secretariat to produce a discussion document on the options for undertaking such a project. After that was available, the Chair and the Deputy Chair would meet with the Chair and Deputy of ACART.
Council would then make a decision on the request.

Action: Secretariat

9.  Pre-Birth Testing – Discussion on Deliberative Dialogue Events

Rosemary tabled two documents:

• Information for Council Members
• Observations and reflections from Council Members on Who Gets Born? Deliberative Dialogue Events  

They contained notes that might be useful for Council Members when they were attending the dialogue events and a document for them to use for feedback.

She stressed that Council Members at the deliberative dialogue events would be there primarily to listen and liaise with the facilitators and members of the Secretariat. The Secretariat Members would be present to record the events.

Rosemary asked that the Secretariat circulate the Facilitators’ Guide to all Council Members, and also the event details spreadsheet.
                                                                                               Action: Secretariat

The Chair thanked Rosemary for excellent documents.

10. Spirituality and Biotechnology – a Discussion

Council Members watched a section of a video called “My God”.

Questions considered included:

• What do we mean by “spirituality”?
• What do others mean by “spirituality”?
• What has spirituality got to do with biotechnology?

11. Report on Ministry of Health Cabinet Paper – Assisted Reproductive Technology Recommendations

Cordelia reported that she and Marie had presented the Council’s oral submission to ACART and that she had responded to the Ministry of Health’s draft cabinet paper.

12.  Meeting Dates

Secretariat to book meeting venues.

Action: Secretariat

13 Possible Topics for Future Work

• Issues around the end of life
• Environmental issues
• The tikanga project
• Biometrics
• Nanotechnology
• Genetic testing of newborns
• Endocrine disrupters
• GM
• Human Enhancement
• Biofuels
• Media and the public and biotechnology
• Water

The Secretariat was asked to write a one-paragraph descriptor of each topic and the issues it considers worth investigating.

Action: Secretariat

14. Variance Report

The Council considered the Variance Report. The Budget Working Group was asked to meet to finalise the budget.

Action: Budget Working Group

Tahu offered to be a member of the Budget Working Group.

15. Secretariat Report

The Council noted the report.

16. Other Business

There were no issues of general business.  

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 4.15 p.m. with a karakia from Tahu.

Action List

• Book 2008 meeting venues.

Action: Secretariat

• Produce a discussion document on the options for undertaking a project regarding embryo research       

Action: Secretariat

• Circulate the Facilitators’ Guide and  the event details spreadsheet to all Council Members,

Action: Secretariat

• Pursue concerns about the work conditions of the Secretariat

Action: Martin

• Explore insurance options

Action: Secretariat and Chair

• Prepare a descriptor of potential  topics for future work

Action: Secretariat

• Finalise the budget.

Action: Budget Working Group