KEY POINTS:
Government officials considering how to shield native plants from commercial theft are considering protecting traditional Maori knowledge by recording it in a national register.
The voluntary register of matauranga Maori (traditional knowledge) could be accompanied by a code of "best practice" for the use of traditional knowledge by bio-prospectors.
And there could also be an advisory council set up to help with the negotiation of benefits to be shared with Maori from traditional knowledge which is commercialised. These advisers could not only develop guidelines but help identify the most appropriate "knowledge-holders" to be involved in negotiations, according to a Government discussion paper released last night.
The paper on bio-prospecting, Harnessing Benefits for New Zealand, said the nation had no recognised guidelines or regulations on bio-prospectors' use of traditional knowledge.
"This seems particularly undesirable from the point of Maori who either may not wish their knowledge to be used in ways inconsistent with their customary laws and practices, or have their knowledge exploited without any benefits flowing back to them," said the report, released by Energy Minister David Parker.
"Unless there is greater clarity on how to access and use matauranga Maori, commercial interest in New Zealand for bio-prospecting may be limited due to the perceived risk relating to intellectual property."
Maori knowledge of the use of indigenous flora and fauna for medicinal purposes may be of interest to pharmaceutical companies, and might reduce companies' costs in searching for useful compounds or organisms.
In some other countries, registers and databases of traditional knowledge have been developed to protect traditional knowledge by reducing the likelihood of intellectual property rights being granted to a company where the basic knowledge is already "owned" by the local population.
A voluntary register - part of which could be confidential - could help to protect traditional Maori knowledge: a bio-prospector could check whether information was available on a particular subject, and negotiate with the knowledge-holders to use it.
If traditional knowledge was not registered, the bio-prospector could go ahead and develop products on the assumption there would be no challenge over "pre-existing knowledge".
In line with international practice, a bio-prospector could not seek intellectual property protection for a product or use that was not novel.
Native remedies
* Harakeke or flax: gum exuded from the base of flax leaves or cut leaves could be applied to burns, wounds and abscesses.
* Koromiko: an infusion of leaves was a powerful astringent for dysentery, and bruised leaves were applied as poultices for ulcers and venereal disease.
* Ngaio: an infusion of leaves was rubbed on the skin to prevent mosquito and sandfly attacks. Ngaio bark could be used to heal ulcers and eruptions of the skin.
* Nikau: parts of this plant were used in childbirth due to its laxative properties and to relax the (pelvic) ligaments of the body.
* Northern rata: the bark from this tree was used against ringworm, venereal disease, sores, wounds and abscesses.
* Pohutukawa: an infusion of the inner bark was valued as a remedy for diarrhoea, and to dispel inflammation and promote healing in wounds.
- NZPA
