July 17, Oakland - New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has launched a round of public consultations, accepting feedback to the PVR Act Review Options paper. The document is based on the current PVR system assessment and an independent economic analysis conducted by the Sapere Research Group. The paper sets out a framework for the PVR Act 1987 update and outlines some preferred options supported by the analysis.
Under the provisions of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), New Zealand is required to accede to the Act 1991 of the UPOV Convention by December 30, 2021. MBIE's call for public consultation also lists the dramatic changes undergone by the domestic and global plant breeding industry since the adoption of the 1987 PVR Act among the motivations for the PVR Act review. The latter was first initiated in the early 2000s but was put on hold in anticipation of the release of the Waitangi Tribunal’s Wai 262 report. The legislators have to ensure that, along with modernizing the PBR regime, the Act's amendments comply with the provisions of New Zealand’s Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi.
The public feedback to the Options paper can be submitted by 5 PM on Monday, September 9, 2019. The submission template is provided on the consultation website.
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