14068 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister of Conservation

14068 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister of Conservation: Does he agree with Professor Slooten that the Department of Conservation are “using outdated methods to answer a question that doesn't need answering” in taking tissue samples from Otago’s Hector’s dolphins?

Hon Tama Potaka: The Department of Conservation advises me that biopsy sampling is the most reliable method to determine how genetically connected the dolphins in Otago are to other populations on the east and south coast of the South Island, and that this information is important to ensuring management settings are correct. Biopsy sampling is a well-accepted tool in the international and New Zealand scientific community. It is considered the most reliable tool for collecting high-quality genetic material from free swimming dolphins.