Cartwright Inquiry

The Cartwright Inquiry was a Committee of Inquiry held in New Zealand in 1988. It was commissioned by the then Minister of Health, Michael Bassett to investigate the alleged malpractice of Associate Professor Herb Green, a gynaecology and obstetrics specialist. The inquiry was headed by High Court Justice Dame Silvia Cartwright, later Governor-General of New Zealand.

The inquiry was set up to examine whether or not Herb Green had been illegally experimenting on his patients without their consent. A study had been conducted between 1966 and 1987 in which the cases of women with major cervical abnormalities were followed without definitive treatment.

The media used the term "unfortunate experiment" extensively after Green's practices were first exposed in an article by Phillida Bunkle and Sandra Coney entitled "An Unfortunate Experiment" in Metro Magazine in June 1988.

Herb Green was previously known for publishing a book about gynaecology and obstetrics, called An Introduction to Gynaecology and Obstetrics, which underwent several revisions. Herb Green never eventually stood trial over his alleged actions, as he was declared mentally and physically unfit before he could be tried.