The Green parties of New Zealand and Australia have lodged a submission with the Australian Human Rights Commission asking it to establish an inquiry into the treatment of New Zealand citizens who are detained in immigration detention centres. Green Party human rights spokesperson Marama Davidson has written to the Commission on behalf of the New Zealand and Australian Green Parties, saying people from both countries were deeply concerned about the human rights abuses occurring in Australian facilities and the...

Green Party disability issues spokesperson Mojo Mathers is marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities by launching a new Member’s Bill, which will create a more inclusive and accessible New Zealand. Ms Mathers’ Human Rights (Disability Assist Dogs Non-Discrimination) Amendment Bill explicitly states that a person cannot be a denied a service – such as housing or transport – on the basis that they have a disability assist dog. “We have long way to go to make New Zealand...

The Green Party will be asking the Government today to reveal the full extent of taxpayer support for fossil fuels, Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei says. Yesterday 950 international environment groups awarded New Zealand the “Fossil Of The Day” award at the climate talks in Paris after John Key told international leaders to stop fossil fuel subsidies, while his own Government was providing financial support for fossil fuels to the tune of millions of dollars a year. Later, the Minister of...

The hepatitis A berry outbreak has highlighted that consumers are in the dark about where their food comes from, the Green Party said today. Four cases of hepatitis A have been traced back to frozen imported berries, but consumers cannot choose to buy local berries because no country of origin labelling is required, and the Ministry of Primary Industries refuses to say which brands are involved. “People should be able to find out where their food comes from, so they...

Parliament will today have the opportunity to support the establishment of a supermarket adjudicator tasked with developing a code of conduct to level the playing field between big supermarkets and local produce suppliers, following problems exposed by the 2014 Countdown investigation. Green Party MP Mojo Mathers’ Commerce (Supermarket Adjudicator and Code of Conduct) Amendment Bill will be given its first reading this evening, followed by a vote. “Today Parliament will have the opportunity to support local produce suppliers to get...

The Green Party will oppose the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill, Green Party Environment spokesperson Eugenie Sage said today. “National has wasted its opportunity to strengthen the Resource Management Act (RMA). Instead many of the changes proposed to the Act weaken rather than improve the protection of the environment and reduce the opportunities for public participation. “The RMA is the fundamental law that protects the environment that New Zealanders love. Any changes to the law should provide more protection, not less....

The Government’s failure to build affordable housing, and to ensure rentals are long-term and healthy to live in, has created a ticking time bomb of homelessness as hundreds of thousands of baby boomers arrive at retirement, the Green Party said today. The Salvation Army today released its report Homeless Baby Boomers showing that upwards of 200,000 baby boomers are set to arrive at retirement age, without the traditional safety net of their own home, creating huge uncertainty in their old...

New Zealand being awarded the Fossil of the Day award at the Paris climate talks is an embarrassing indictment that shows up the National Government’s failure to walk the talk on climate change, the Green Party said. The award was given to New Zealand for dishing out $80 million in subsidies to the oil, coal, and gas industries at the same time as John Key gave a speech in Paris claiming to show leadership on ending fossil fuel subsidies. “National...

Prime Minister John Key risks New Zealand being seen as two-faced at the Paris Climate talks later today when he’ll call for reform of fossil fuel subsidies, while New Zealand is throwing around massive tax breaks for oil exploration, the Green Party says. Prime Minister John Key intends to issue a communiqué to the United Nations tonight calling for countries to cut fossil fuel subsidies, and to make public the hand-outs governments are giving the industry. The National Government has...

The Prime Minister needs to immediately apologise to Tania Billingsley for the Government’s handling of her case and he must instruct Murray McCully to immediately release an unredacted version of the John Whitehead report into the matter, the Green Party said today.