INTRODUCTION

Since the mid 1980s, DNA identification techniques have become a routine element of criminal investigations and court proceedings. New Zealand was an early adopter of forensic DNA technologies, developing a close relationship with the Forensic Science Service in the UK where the techniques were pioneered. Forensic DNA laboratories were established in New Zealand in 1988, and DNA profiling immediately proved to be an invaluable tool for solving crime. As a geographically small and isolated nation with a modest population size of less than four million, and with a single legal jurisdiction, New Zealand perhaps was an ideal environment in which to successfully introduce DNA profiling technologies.

The use of DNA testing was recognised as an important and valuable investigative tool and by the early 1990s it was frequently incorporated into serious crime investigations. Yet, there was rising discomfort regarding police powers to obtain samples from suspects in the absence of any legislation. That discomfort was reflected in key judicial decisions, which considered whether or not police actions in obtaining biological samples infringed on the donor's rights. Subsequently, in 1995, New Zealand became the second nation after the UK to legislate for the establishment of a national DNA databank (Harbison et al. 1999).