National’s plans to boost DOC’s budget with a one-off Budget 2017 lolly of $21.3 million falls well short of the long-term funding commitment needed to protect our birds, the Green Party said today. “DOC’s funding has been cut by some $336 million since National came to power. This one-off increase for the next year will have little long-term impact in the battle for our birds,” said Green Party conservation spokesperson Mojo Mathers. “There is a case for boosted funding for...

Signing up to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) with Japan but without the United States (US) will incur large costs but without many of the supposed benefits, the Green Party said today. Prime Minister Bill English is on his way to Japan, where he will meet with other TPPA countries in an attempt to resurrect the trade deal. “Some of the most unpopular aspects of the TPPA, like longer copyright protection and rules that affect the costs of medicines, are...

The Green Party welcomes news from Dairy NZ that dairy farmers have made good progress in improving farm management to exclude dairy cattle from waterways. The comments come on the back of a Dairy NZ report showing nearly all farmers who signed up to the Water Accord have fenced out dairy cattle and have bridges or culverts at stock crossings points. “Fencing dairy stock from waterways and bridging stock crossing points is the new normal. Hard work by dairy farmers has...

The Children’s Commissioner’s third State of Care report paints a damning picture of the treatment of children placed in state care, the Green Party said today. “The report shows that some children in secure residences are not safe and the conditions have been described as prison-like. We also know that the Government has pulled back monitoring of how many children are currently being abused in state care,” said Green Party social development spokesperson Jan Logie. “Taken together, it’s clear there...

Transport Minister Simon Bridges needs to clarify his position and order an independent review into KiwRail’s decision to replace electric freight trains with unreliable diesel trains, the Green Party said today On Friday Simon Bridges conceded that "there is an avenue down the line for different decisions to be made…” This followed the release of internal KiwiRail reports showing that new diesel trains could cost $230 million more than upgrading the electric fleet, and raising concerns about their reliability. “It’s...

Simon Bridges needs to immediately halt plans to scrap New Zealand's electric freight trains following the release of KiwiRail reports raising major concerns about the diesel trains the State Owned Enterprise intends to buy, the Green Party said today. Documents provided to the Green Party show that KiwiRail bosses decided to scrap New Zealand's electric trains in December last year, despite being told their diesel replacements could cost $230 million more than simply upgrading the existing electric fleet. KiwiRail were...

Tenancy rules need updating to give families more stability to put down roots in their communities, the Green Party said today. Data released today from the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study highlights that almost half the children in the study live in rental homes. Renters tend to move more than home-owners, which can make it hard for families to plan for early childhood and primary education. “Families need housing stability so they can put down roots in their...

Maggie Barry needs to front with evidence to back up her claim that profits gained from Government investment in DOC’s tourism will be reinvested in biodiversity protection, the Green Party said today. Conservation Minister Maggie Barry made the claim on RNZ’s Morning Report this morning that improving the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) tourism infrastructure will attract more tourists, helping the government to earn more money, which will then be reinvested in biodiversity protection. “DOC’s Great Walks are operating at a...

New Zealanders deserve a positive and solutions-focused discussion on access to medicinal cannabis, which should be legal, accessible and affordable, the Green Party said today.

The Green Party is thrilled to have had a Member’s Bill drawn from the ballot today that will help enable better Māori representation at a local government level.