Human Tissue

Non-therapeutic Standard

Public consultation on the Non-therapeutic Use of Human Tissue Standard

The Human Tissue Act 2008 provides for regulations to prescribe or approve standards for the collection or use of human tissue for education, research or other non-therapeutic purposes (such as audit and anatomical examination).

Standards New Zealand has been contracted to develop a standard that meets the requirements of the Act. The purpose of the Standard is to ensure that where a person, or their family/whānau, has given consent to the use of human tissue for non-therapeutic purposes, correct processes are followed for collection, storage, use and disposal of tissue.

The draft Standard was released for public consultation and submissions on the draft Standard closed on Monday, 18 August 2008.

View the draft Standard:

on the Standards New Zealand website – Non-therapeutic Use of Human Tissue Draft Standard
by purchasing a copy at Bennetts Bookshops
by viewing a copy at the Ministry of Health’s library – 133 Molesworth Street, Wellington.

The intention is that the Standard will be picked up as a regulation under the Human Tissue Act 2008. If given the status of a regulation then any person using or collecting human tissue for a non-therapeutic purpose must comply with the Standard (section 47(1) of the Act).

It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health as the administrators of the Act to ensure compliance. The Act contains penalty provisions relating to non-compliance with a non-therapeutic standard which is given the status of a regulation (section 47(3)). Compliance is expected to impose minimal costs on the sector.

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Page last updated: 10 November 2008