The Green Party has today launched a new campaign to get rail to Albany and Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore by 2030. In March, Transport Minister Simon Bridges announced that work would restart on a second harbour crossing. However, official briefings released in June show the NZ Transport Agency plans to safe-guard the harbour crossing for a road-only tunnel, meaning the option of connecting rail to the Shore may be shelved completely. “The Green Party is calling on the Government...

Endangered native sea lions will continue to be killed in commercial fishing nets unless the Government takes stronger action than is proposed in a flimsy Threat Management Plan, the Green Party said today. Submissions close today on the proposed Threat Management Plan for the New Zealand sea lion/rāpoka. The plan suggests several streams of new research, but doesn’t make changes to fishing rules to reduce sea lions being caught and drowning in fishing nets. “We don’t allow hunters to accidently...

Unfair differences between pre-paid and normal power prices are costing vulnerable families in some parts of New Zealand hundreds of dollars a year, the Green Party said. Analysis of the cheapest normal power prices and the cheapest pre-paid power prices in Wellington shows that pre-paid customers are paying on average $542 more every year. Nationwide, pre-paid customers pay an extra $153 a year on average.* “Too many pre-paid power customers are getting a bad deal,” Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth...

The Green Party has today released a consultation paper on how to get the Unitary Plan working for Auckland. “The Green Party is going to introduce great standards for warm, safe, dry homes and for building great neighbourhoods that people love living in, and we are welcoming people’s input,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today. The Green Party consultation paper brings together two national tools for consideration that will complement the Unitary Plan: ·        Making sure all new homes...

The Government must urgently commit to building more affordable homes in Auckland because the market is failing to do so, the Green Party said today. New QV data out today shows that an increase in new housing supply has kept homes affordable in Christchurch, while the average Auckland house price is now $992,207. “Auckland’s average house price is zeroing in on a million dollars and the crisis is spreading to Tauranga and Hamilton – that won’t change unless the Government...

The National Government is working against itself and New Zealanders when it comes to social housing, the Green Party said today. The New Zealand Herald is reporting today that Housing New Zealand applied to evict four per cent of its tenants last year. “Just a few days ago the Government was being applauded for putting $9 million into programmes to reduce homelessness, but at the same time they are kicking people out with nowhere to go,” Green Party social housing...

Land Information Minister Louise Upston can’t name a good reason to allow non-resident overseas investors to buy New Zealand homes because there isn’t one, the Green Party said today. Minister Upston was questioned this morning about new Land Information New Zealand data on the number of overseas buyers in the New Zealand property market. “Every home sold to an overseas investor is a home that a local family can’t buy,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei. “The only thing overseas...

The Green Party shares the concerns of councils and mayors around the country about the Government’s proposals to reduce the decision-making power of elected local representation through further amalgamations and Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs). Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt has come out opposing the Government’s local government bill, and at the recent Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) conference, nearly all LGNZ members voted for a remit opposing the changes. “The local voice needs to remain in local government, yet the Government’s proposed...

The Green Party is calling for stricter controls on the fishing industry after it was revealed thousands of seabirds, hundreds of fur seals, and dozens of dolphins were killed by trawl nets in just one year. A new report has just been released that analyses data from fisheries observers to identify levels of bycatch. In 2013-14, an estimated 81 dolphins were killed in the jack mackerel trawl fishery and an estimated 2,277 seabirds, including threatened species such as Salvin’s mollyhawk and...

Auckland and Auckland Councillors must unite to support the Unitary Plan, because the alternative is more squabbling while families continue to be locked out of home ownership, the Green Party said today. “The average Auckland house price is nearly a million dollars and completely unaffordable for most people. The Unitary Plan is an important step towards fixing that,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei. “We’re pleased that the independent panel has recognised that if you want an affordable, liveable city...