More than half the new appointments to Conservation Boards announced by Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage today are women. Eugenie Sage announced 57 appointments to the 15 Conservation Boards across New Zealand. “Conservation Boards are the link between DOC and the community. They help ensure their region’s voice is heard on conservation issues,” Eugenie Sage said. “These appointments bring the number of women on the boards to 52 per cent and 41 per cent identify as Maori. “I am thrilled to...

The Green Party has welcomed the establishment of the new Crown-Māori partnership on freshwater, Te Kāhui Wai Māori, and will continue to push strongly for Māori rights over water to be upheld, Co-Leader Marama Davidson said today. “We welcome the establishment of Te Kāhui Wai Māori as it sends a clear signal that this Government will engage robustly with tangata whenua on their rights to freshwater, as opposed to the previous Government who kicked the can down the road,” said...

The Green Party is celebrating the latest figures that New Zealand’s game development industry earned a record $143 million in the last financial year and is urging practical policies to kick this into overdrive. “While this growth is phenomenal, the New Zealand Government can do more to assist in growing it to a billion dollar industry,” said Green Party ICT spokesperson Gareth Hughes. “While income has been concentrated amongst the ten largest companies we think the Government needs to act...

Green Party Co-Leaders Marama Davidson and James Shaw have welcomed today’s announcement by Statistics New Zealand that a broad set of indicators will be developed to measure the nation’s success. “Aotearoa New Zealand will become the first country in the world to produce a comprehensive set of indicators to measure things such as our natural environment, our social wellbeing and our human and social capital,” James Shaw said. “Our new wellbeing measures will change our thinking and our decision-making. What...

James Shaw, Green Party co-leader and the Minister of Statistics, today launched the development of a new comprehensive set of environmental, social and economic indicators to better measure New Zealand’s overall wellbeing and success. “This Government is expanding beyond traditional narrow measures of economic success to reflect the wellbeing of New Zealanders, including the environmental wellbeing that sustains us,” James said. “As part of the Green Party’s Confidence and Supply Agreement with Labour, we are beginning the process of compiling a...

Figures released today showing 40 to 45 people have died due to synthetic cannabis since last June show the need for urgent cross-party work on sensible drug law reform, says the Green Party. “The current approach based on prohibition and punishment is clearly not working,” says Green Party drug law reform spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick. “The war on drugs is a failure. “We need a strategy based on evidence and harm reduction, which supports people instead of forcing them into the...

The Green Party will vote for Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill to become law, Green Party Co-Leader Marama Davidson announced today. The amended bill, which has been reported back to Parliament by the Justice Select Committee, was considered by the Green Party caucus before a final decision was made to vote for it. “We’re doing this because the confidence and supply agreement holds us to it.” Marama Davidson said. “It’s been a difficult decision, which has drawn strong feeling and robust...

The home of a giant native grasshopper is now safer after Crown land in the Mackenzie Basin was protected as conservation land, Land Information and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. “The triangle-shaped 440 ha area known as the “Tekapo Triangle” is home to the largest known population of robust grasshopper (Brachaspis robustus), a species which is only found in New Zealand’s Mackenzie Basin,” Eugenie Sage said. “The robust grasshopper is a Mackenzie Basin icon. Protecting the Tekapo Triangle will...

Alleviating the pain and suffering of patients and their whānau denied access to legal medicinal cannabis requires urgent, open and collaborative cross-party action, the Green Party said today. “We are aware that National intends to table a completely new bill on medicinal cannabis – the third one before the House in the last six months,” says Green Party Drug Law Reform spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick. “It’s a real pity that they’ve rejected all our previous attempts to work together on sensible...

From April next year, all victims of domestic violence will be able to get support from their employers to stop the violence and get help without worrying about losing their jobs. Parliament has passed the Domestic Violence – Victims’ Protection Bill sponsored by Jan Logie by 63 votes to 57. The Greens, Labour and New Zealand First stood united in supporting the bill through every stage of the parliamentary process. “I’m beyond delighted to see this law finally become a...