25 Nov 2020

Call for overhaul of how DNA is obtained long overdue - Tikanga Māori advocates

From Morning Report, 8:38 am on 25 November 2020

The Law Commission is calling for an overhaul of how DNA is obtained and used for criminal investigations - something that is long overdue according to Tikanga Māori advocates.

A report by the commission says the 25-year-old laws around discretionary DNA collection by police don't reflect modern thinking on privacy regulations and human rights.

It makes 193 recommendations for change, some of which address the issue of cultural sensitivity.

Tikanga Māori researcher Karaitiana Taiuru, who hopes the report can end the bias against Māori in the collection of DNA.