News

  • Detainee rights not raised by Key

    Prime Minister John Key’s admission today that he did not even ask his Australian counterpart to return Kiwis currently detained in off-shore detention centres to mainland Australia shows how little he tried to advocate for them when meeting Malcolm Turnbull this week. Under questioning from Green Party human rights spokesperson Catherine Delahunty, the Prime Minister admitted he made very limited requests on behalf of detained New Zealanders and he also refused to rule out supporting Australia on their bid for...
  • Government can create housing options that are good for people and the environment

    A new report from the Productivity Commission shows that the Government has many options to help solve the Auckland housing crisis and it must choose those that will create better cities for people and the environment, the Green Party said. “The Productivity Commission’s housing report highlights how the National Government is sitting on its hands when actually it has a huge range of tools it could be using to fix the Auckland housing crisis,” Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne...
  • Report highlights Government’s failure to protect rivers and native species

    The inaugural Environment Aotearoa report highlights the major shortfalls in the Government’s environmental management, and must lead to urgent action to protect our indigenous wildlife, rivers, and seas, the Green Party said today. "The Government’s hands-off approach to environmental  protection is a major reason for the fact that 66% of monitored river sites are no longer safe to swim in and the precarious positions of many of our native seabirds and marine mammals," said Green Party environment spokesperson Eugenie Sage. “Our native plants,...
  • New Zealand standing in the way of developing countries adapting to climate change

    New data released by the Green Party today shows that New Zealand is contributing far less than other comparable countries to a fund that helps developing countries combat climate change. This revelation comes amidst significant climate talks taking place this week in Bonn, and shows New Zealand’s pledge to the Green Climate Fund sits at just NZ$0.88 per person, compared to the average pledge of NZ$12.46. “The Green Climate Fund is one of the most important ways that developed nations...
  • Greens congratulate Kristine Bartlett and union movement on historic equal pay victory

    The Green Party has welcomed the Government’s announcement today that it will set up a joint employer-union working group to address claims under the Equal Pay Act. “This is an historic victory, led by Kristine Bartlett and the union movement, who have fought to ensure all women are paid fairly for the work they do,” said Green Party Women’s spokesperson Jan Logie “Kristine’s heroic battle has forced the National Government to treat the underpayment of women seriously. “The negotiations over...
  • Protection for subcontractors a win for building industry

    The Green Party is welcoming new financial protections for subcontractors as a win for the building industry after years of struggle following the collapse of Mainzeal in early 2013. Today, Parliament will pass the Construction Contracts Amendment Bill. “I’m really pleased to see the Government has finally listened to the building industry and put in place new protections for subcontractors, because for a long time it didn’t look likely,” Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter said. “The Green Party has...
  • Government’s new plan same as the old plan

    The Government’s plan to curb childhood obesity is largely a rehash of existing programmes and offers very little to reduce the attraction of junk food. Green Party Health Spokesperson Kevin Hague says that real behaviour change happens when the environment changes that encourages unhealthy behaviour. The Government’s announced initiatives takes the easy way out by blaming individuals, while too many of us have the same problem. “Like the alcohol and tobacco industries, the junk food industry won't voluntarily sell less...
  • Greens' deportation complaint stands after PM's failure to get win for Kiwis

    The Green Party will press on with a human rights complaint about the detention and treatment of Kiwis in Australia, following an apparent failure of Prime Minister John Key today to secure any reasonable concessions from his Australian counterpart.   It's been reported today that Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had made a vague commitment to increase resources to allow appeals over deportations and detentions by Kiwis to be processed more quickly.   "It seems John Key has failed to...