About us

ACART is established under section 32 of the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology (HART) Act 2004(external link).

Our function

ACART’s two key functions are to:

• provide independent advice to the Minister of Health
• issue guidelines and provide advice to the Ethics Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ECART) (external link)on procedures and research requiring case by case ethical approval.

Guiding Principles

ACART shall be guided by the following principles.

ACART’s work is guided by the principles of the HART Act:

• the health and well-being of children born as a result of the performance of an assisted reproductive procedure or an established procedure should be an important consideration in all decisions about that procedure
• the human health, safety and dignity of present and future generations should be preserved and promoted
• while all persons are affected by assisted reproductive procedures and established procedures, women, more than men, are directly and significantly affected by their application, and the health and well-being of women must be protected in the use of these procedures
• no assisted reproductive procedure should be performed on an individual and no human reproductive research should be conducted on an individual unless the individual has made an informed choice and given informed consent
• donor offspring should be made aware of their genetic origins and be able to access information about those origins
• the needs, values and beliefs of Māori should be considered and treated with respect
• the different ethical, spiritual, and cultural perspectives in society should be considered and treated with respect.