News

  • Time to go, Serco – and all private prisons

    The Chief Inspector of Corrections’ damning report into fight clubs at the Serco-run Mt Eden Correctional Facility definitively shows why the Government should give up on its private-prisons experiment, the Green Party said today.  
  • Israel must release Green MP and peace activists

    The Green Party is calling on Israel to swiftly release Green MP Marama Davidson and other members of the Women’s Peace Flotilla who have been intercepted in international waters off the coast of Gaza. 
  • Paris ratification – starting gun in race for climate

    Ratification of the Paris climate agreement is the starting gun, not the finish line, in the race to avoid dangerous and potentially catastrophic climate change, the Green Party said today. The comments follow New Zealand's ratification of the Paris climate agreement overnight, which commits the Government to making significant reductions to greenhouse gas emissions. “The Green Party has been calling for the urgent ratification of the Paris Agreement, so we’re pleased the Government has acted swiftly,” said Green Party Co-leader...
  • Super Fund knowingly invests in illegal rainforest destruction

    The Green Party today challenged the New Zealand Superannuation Fund to explain why it continues to invest and profit from the illegal destruction of rainforest to grow palm oil. Figures provided to the Green Party and the Herald showed the NZ Superannuation Fund, ACC Investment Fund, and Government Superannuation Fund have $22 million tied up in four foreign palm oil companies linked to the illegal burning and devastation of Indonesian rainforests. The companies are: Genting Bhd, IJM Corp Berhad, Posco,...
  • Green Party commits to reducing child poverty

    The Green Party has a comprehensive plan to address child poverty, and will start by reforming Working for Families to make it work for every low-income family. “The Green Party in Government will do what John Key refuses to – reduce child poverty across the board.  We are committed to that goal because, as a country, we can’t afford not to,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today.   “The UN Sustainable Development Goals, which John Key committed to, call...
  • New Zealand climate aid cuts hurting Pacific

    National needs to reverse its cuts to our Pacific climate aid programme, as a new report shows food and water shortages have worsened across the region, the Green Party said today. Caritas’ State of the Environment report, released today, says the Pacific has faced widespread hunger and thirst in 2016 as a result of El Niño and climate change. It describes climate-related support to the region as “inadequate” and notes that climate aid from New Zealand declined in 2016. This...
  • Govt should fully fund kiwi recovery plan

    The Department of Conservation’s (DOC) plan to boost kiwi numbers to nearly 100,000 by 2030 needs to be fully funded by the Government, not left to charities to pick up the tab, the Green Party said today. The comments come on the back of the release of DOC’s Kiwi Recovery Plan 2017-2027, which relies on $1.3 million to be raised by charities, such as Kiwis for Kiwi, on top of the funding provided by the Government. “The Government could easily...
  • Government can and must target child poverty

    The Government needs to stop playing politics with children’s lives and agree to child poverty measures and reduction targets, the Green Party said today. The Prime Minister refused to commit to a child poverty reduction target on Morning Report today, following the Children Commissioner’s call over the weekend for him to do so. “It’s ridiculous that the Government is willing to spend time and money to come up with a target to eliminate possums in New Zealand, but refuses to...