The Green Party is calling for the Government to ensure that any overseas companies that buy state-owned Solid Energy’s assets are properly vetted for their commitment to workplace safety, local communities, and environmental issues. “The world is full of coal companies with terrible safety and environmental records and it’s very important that the Government doesn’t sell out Kiwi workers and communities to these global coal cowboys,” Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes said. “The Government got Solid Energy into this...

Parliament will have an opportunity to show it wants to be part of the solution to climate change by voting for the New Zealand Government to divest from fossil fuels, after Russel Norman’s Climate Change (Divestment from Fossil Fuels) Bill was pulled from the Members’ Bill ballot today, the Green Party said. “My Bill will give us the opportunity to join the rapidly growing global movement pulling the funding out from underneath the fossil fuel industry, who make their profits...

The Green Party agrees that blocking the sale of Lochinver Station to Shanghai Pengxin was the correct thing to do, but says tighter rules around the sale of land are still required to stop land falling into overseas hands. “We want the law changed to rule out the sale of farmland over five hectares to offshore interests. This would give more certainty to vendors and the public about who owns land in this country,” said Green Party primary industries spokesperson...

The Government should be using the economic slowdown as an opportunity to invest to protect jobs and move to a smart, green economy, the Green Party said today. Gross domestic product (GDP) data out today shows the economy is growing much slower than forecast, with quarterly GDP at 0.4 percent (compared to Treasury's Budget forecast of 0.7 percent) and annual GDP at 2.4 percent (compared to Treasury's Budget forecast of 3.3 percent). “Growth is slower than forecast and the risk...

The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to stand Sam Lotu-Iiga down as Corrections Minister over his continued mishandling of the SERCO debacle.

The Treasury has told Finance Minister Bill English that the current regulatory uncertainty around climate is hurting business, the Green Party said today. New information released to the Green Party shows that Treasury recommended as far back as October 2014 that the National Government work to secure a greater degree of political party consensus about climate change saying that “this would assist firms and individuals to better factor climate change into their long-term decision making”. “John Key understands the importance...

New information shows that the Department of Corrections let SERCO off the hook for fines that were issued for basic failures in its management of the Mt Eden Correctional Facility, the Green Party said today.

The Green Party has called for the Government to act on workplace domestic violence issues by picking up a Bill the Greens’ Women’s Issues spokesperson Jan Logie has in the Member’s Bill ballot. The Greens’ call follows The Warehouse Group’s  announcement today that it is developing a comprehensive human resources policy around domestic violence. “I congratulate The Warehouse Group for taking this initiative to support those of its staff whose lives are devastated by domestic violence”, said Ms Logie. “They...

John Key and Murray McCully’s hands-off approach to human rights atrocities in West Papua is in stark contrast to the actions taken by previous New Zealand governments on similar abuses by Indonesia in East Timor, the Green Party said today. While at the Pacific Islands Forum, John Key and Murray McCully have ruled out supporting a fact-finding mission in West Papua, despite evidence from groups such as Human Rights Watch that horrific abuses are happening there. “Over the years, the...

The Government’s ideological refusal to properly address the demand side factors is driving the unsustainable Auckland housing market into ‘dangerous territory’ and creating major risks for the economy, the Green Party said. “The Government must tackle the demand side factors driving unsustainable house price inflation – like rampant property speculation – with measures like a proper capital gains tax and restrictions on overseas property investors, but is choosing not to,” Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “When the...