The Green Party has today congratulated the Hon Simon Bridges, who has been announced as the new Leader of the National Party.

The Green Party strongly supports today’s announcement to amend the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 to provide a statutory power for senior courts to make declarations of inconsistency under the Act. “At its heart, this amendment is about protecting New Zealanders’ human rights across the board,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “There is nothing more important or fundamental than that. But there have been numerous cases over the years of Parliament passing legislation, including where advice from...

The Green Party is renewing its call to remove the double standard that allows for referendum on the establishment of only Māori wards from law.

The critically endangered Antipodes Island wandering albatross will be functionally extinct within the next 20 years unless the devastating decline in their population is halted, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage says. The population of this rare wandering albatross, which breeds almost exclusively on the remote Antipodes Island in the New Zealand subantarctic, has experienced an alarming decline in the past 13 years, with very high mortality of females and reduced breeding success. Ms Sage, who has just visited Antipodes Island, says...

Punakaiki suffered from a lack of planning under National, and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage is pleased this will now change with today’s Provincial Growth Fund announcements. The fund will provide $100,000 to help Punakaiki develop a master plan to future-proof the township. “The famous Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Punakaiki are major drawcards for visitors, as are the dramatic karst landscapes in the Punakaiki and Pororari Valleys,” Ms Sage said. “Of course people want to come see these special places...

Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick is stoked that her Election Access Fund Bill was pulled from the Members’ Ballot today. If passed, the Bill will establish a new contestable fund to be overseen by the Electoral Commission. People with disabilities who wish to run as election candidates will be able to apply for money from the fund, to make the electoral process more accessible; for example a profoundly deaf candidate could apply and use the money to hire a sigh...

The result of one of the most complex island mouse eradication projects ever undertaken will be known in a few short weeks. Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage is accompanying a Department of Conservation-led Million Dollar Mouse monitoring team heading to Antipodes Island group in the New Zealand subantarctic. The monitoring team will begin the month-long assessment to determine whether the project was a success. Ms Sage said it was an exciting, albeit nerve-wrecking time, for everyone involved. “The Million Dollar Mouse...

The Green Party is today celebrating the Government’s response to a Green-led select committee inquiry into supporting grieving whānau with accessing and managing the tūpāpaku (deceased bodies) of their loved ones.

Department of Conservation staff will be able to issue infringement notices and reduce the number of costly prosecutions under a bill that passed its first reading last night. “The Conservation (Infringement System) Amendment Bill updates eight separate Acts to allow the Department of Conservation to issue infringement notices instead of prosecuting for minor offences.” Ms Sage says. The bill was introduced under the previous Government. Currently all conservation offences under the Acts and regulations have to be dealt with either...

There is no future in burning coal to produce electricity in New Zealand, the Green Party said today. The comment comes after Genesis Energy today revealed its intention to finally put an end to using coal for electricity production by 2030. “While it’s all well and good that Genesis has made this announcement around its intentions, in reality the time to stop burning coal is now,” said Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes. “Coal belongs in the ground, not burnt...