Convergence, absence, capture: The trajectory of thirty years of public debate about genetic modification in Aotearoa New Zealand

Scientific developments in genetic modification (GM) are rapidly forging ahead, bringing both calls to enable their possibilities, but also concerns of potential harm. At a time of technological and regulatory change, we analyse thirty years of public debate on GM in Aotearoa New Zealand to better understand the trajectory of public discourse. Drawing on analysis over 1,648 texts, primarily media articles, from the early 1990s to the present, we trace the evolution of arguments by proponents and opponents of the technology across four consistent domains of debate: economy and environment; science and morality; risk and regulation; and democracy and freedom. We identify three discursive processes: ‘convergence’, in which proponents and opponents have both mobilised dominant western, neoliberal, and technocratic values to different ends; ‘absence’, relating to periods where both sides have not engaged with certain topics (proponents have de-emphasised economic arguments, while opponents have steered clear of ethical arguments); and ‘capture’, in which proponents have gradually claimed a broad range of arguments, with opponents occupying a relatively narrow discursive space. We argue these discursive processes have contributed to narrowly framed debate about GM and call attention to silences in public discourse, notably shallow discussion of societal, ethical, and cultural concerns.