The Government should offer safe sleeping devices such as wahakura and pepi-pods to all new parents, not just a targeted few, the Green Party said today. Today, the Government announced that safe sleeping devices will be provided to some families as part of a new plan to reduce deaths from Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI). The Green Party has campaigned for universal access to wahakura since 2014. “We welcome National’s baby steps to provide some babies with a safe...

The Green Party supports protest action today at a mining company drill site on public conservation land at Karangahake. The protest started at 1PM today and is aiming to protect conservation land with high recreational values and a recovering forest ecosystem. Gold mining company New Talisman have a consent to drill and take bulk samples out of the area. “Karangahake is a much loved forested area for walking and cycling. It should not be mined,” said Green Party MP Catherine...

Fewer than 70 out of 11,645 New Zealand foreign trusts have reregistered under tougher new disclosure requirements with only three weeks left to go before the final deadline, the Green Party said today. Parliamentary questions lodged by the Green Party also show that IRD has proactively de-registered 1,797 foreign trusts since February (see below). “New disclosure requirements are finally shedding some light on this shady industry,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “New Zealand was gaining a damaging reputation as...

Nathan Guy must immediately order the removal of herbicide tolerant (HT) swedes from the market following new reports of cows experiencing ill-health after eating them, the Green Party said today. Dairy NZ today updated an advisory on its website about HT Swedes, saying “in 2017, there have been two farms experiencing ill-health with cows on swedes". In 2014 hundreds of dairy cows died in Southland from liver damage after eating swedes. “It's simple, HT swedes should be taken off the...

The Green Party is today acknowledging the people of Parihaka as they sign a reconciliation package with the Crown. A Crown delegation, including Green MPs, will be welcomed onto Parihaka today, where Minister for Treaty Negotiations Christopher Finlayson will read an apology to the people of Parihaka for past acts of aggression. “The Green Party sends our aroha and congratulations to all descendants of Parihaka on this historic day,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. "Today is hugely significant for...

The Green Party did not support the Government’s motion to mark the 30th anniversary of nuclear free legislation today because it simply reinforces the status quo in which most nuclear states will go on with business as usual. Today’s motion makes no mention of the ongoing negotiations for a Convention on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which would introduce a total ban on nuclear weapons. A draft text of this Convention exists already and it is expected to be adopted...

The Green Party welcomes the Freshwater Rescue Plan proposed by non-governmental organisations, the Tourism Export Council, public health practitioners and freshwater scientists this afternoon. “The National Government has been in denial about the poor state of Aotearoa New Zealand’s waterways, so this plan should be a wake-up call,” said Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty. “The seven-point Freshwater Rescue Plan is a bold plan that includes many of the things we have been calling on the government to do in...

The Green Party is thrilled that Parliament will consider whether to finally legalise medicinal cannabis in New Zealand. Green Party health spokesperson Julie Anne Genter’s Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis and Other Matters) Amendment Bill was drawn from the Member’s Ballot today. The Bill will make it legal for any New Zealander who is suffering from a terminal illness or any debilitating condition to use cannabis or cannabis products with the support of a registered medical practitioner. “We are finally...

The Prime Minister said the controversial Te Kuha mine on high value conservation land will never get a resource consent in response to Green Party questions in Parliament today. The proposed West Coast coal mine will knock the top off Mount Te Kuha, cut down 700 year-old rimu, pollute creeks with mining runoff, and result in the discharge of around 11 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. When confronted with some of the details of the proposal, the Prime Minister said...

The Government needs to vastly improve Auckland's public transport before it introduces tolls on Auckland's roads, or it risks further punishing people who live on the edge of the city, the Green Party said today. Finance Minister Steven Joyce today announced that the Government and Auckland Council are investigating road tolls in Auckland to manage demand on the roads. “Aucklanders need to have access to reliable, fast, affordable trains and buses before road pricing is introduced to discourage people driving...