Short abstract:

We present a prototype ludic activity designed to stimulate conversation on genetic modification, supporting broader participation in debates on GM in Aotearoa New Zealand. The activity draws on our interviews with Indigenous Māori about new genetic technologies for pest management.

Long abstract:

Aotearoa New Zealand’s nationwide strategy to support native biodiversity by eradicating mammalian predators by 2050 has sparked new research into genetic technologies that would amplify current pest control efforts. Genetic modification is potentially transformational, but controversial, particularly for Māori, the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa. Māori share societal concerns about risks and unknowns, but raise other existential, socio-cultural and power-related questions about adoption and use of novel biotechnologies. Social research to guide scientific inquiries must also account for political authority in a Treaty-based nation, and relationships of Māori with the ecosystems we aim to repair through pest management.

Supported by National Science Challenge: Our Biological Heritage, the Tiaki: Invertebrates team have been in dialogue with Māori since 2016 about potential biotechnologies for insect control, including gene drive and gene silencing. A spin-off team, supported by Predator Free 2050, explores Māori approaches and responses to single-sex offspring selection for rat suppression. Responses to our explanations about GM applications have prompted us to adjust, refine and expand our communication strategies over time. This is culminating in an activity that draws on participant perspectives, enabling airing of opinions in collaborative, playful and productive ways. In an added ludic challenge participants 'takaro' (both 'play' and 'wrestle') with complex ideas and assume various positions on them. In this session we speculate on how our prototype ludic activity: responds to ideas about who is entitled or permitted to participate, facilitates science communication that shifts engagement with genetic technology, and thus enables and empowers participation in scientific debates.