Dr Helen Bichan

Dr Stephen Garner

Prof. Grant Gillett
Grant is a neurosurgeon at Dunedin hospital, Professor of Biomedical Ethics at the Bioethics Research Centre, University of Otago, Executive member of the Australian Bioethics Association, and on the Ethics Committees of the Royal Australasian College of surgeons and the NZ Medical Association. Prof Gillett has published extensively on ethics and is on the editorial board of a number journals, including the Journal of Clinical and Neuroscience, Medical humanities Review and NZ Bioethics Journal. His church affiliation is Anglican.

Dr Joy McIntosh
Joy is a reproductive biologist at Victoria University of Wellington. Her research interests currently focus on ovarian biology, together with a wider aim of understanding reproductive health and fertility issues for both women and men. Joy is part of the congregation and an elder at Knox Presbyterian Church in Lower Hutt.

Bella Ngaha

Rev Dr Graham O’Brien
Graham has a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology (Canterbury University), 3 years post-doctoral experience in molecular virology (Auckland University) and a Masters degree in Theology from Laidlaw College (Thesis Title: Christian Spirituality and Bioethics: A Narrative Approach based on the Metaphor of Journey). Graham spent 4 years at St John’s Theological College (Auckland), was ordained in 2007, and is currently the Vicar of the Picton Anglican Parish, Diocese of Nelson.

Dr Briar Peat
Dr Briar Peat is a Senior Lecturer in Medicine and Specialist Physician, Auckland University Clinical School and Middlemore hospital. She is a member of the Auckland University Human subjects Research Ethics Committee, which reviews all research, from Auckland University which involves the use of human subjects. Dr Peat is a member of the congregation, lay preacher and Synod representative of the Whitford Beachlands Mission District Diocese of Auckland.

Mrs Deborah Stevens
Mrs Deborah Stevens holds the following qualifications; M Bioethics, BSc (psychology) and Dip Teaching. She is currently Head of Dept of Religion and Ethics at the Marsden School in Wellington and is also the licensed Bioethics Adviser to Anglican Bishop Tom Brown. Mrs Stevens is editor of Dialogue, Australia, a religious values magazine distributed in UK, Australia and New Zealand and has presented a papers on Ethics in the School Curriculum in New Zealand and Australian conferences.

Dr Alan Stewart
Alan has a PhD in Plant Breeding (Lincoln University) and has been plant breeding with PGG Wrightson Seeds (formerly with PGG) for 30 years. He now leads the international breeding research team on plant breeding using traditional and molecular techniques within the company. Alan is married to Susanne Spindler and attends the Durham Street Methodist Church in Christchurch.

1. To provide opportunities for consultation and dialogue with church members and the community generally on the ethical, theological, spiritual and cultural issues in the use of biotechnology.
2. To take an educational role for the Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian churches on the ethical, theological, spiritual and cultural issues in the use of biotechnology
3. To advise the participating churches on the above issues, and
4. To make submissions and comments to Government, to the New Zealand Bioethics Council and other relevant bodies on the above issues.

The establishment of the Interchurch Bioethics Council has enabled the churches to call on this specialist working group for comment, education and resourcing. The Council arose from the work of the InterChurch Commission on Genetic Engineering which was set up to make submissions to the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification.