The Green Party welcomes the announcement that Pharmac will get an extra $39 million in funding, but is calling for the Government to immediately release Pharmac’s advice on how much money it actually needs. “The Government needs to immediately release Pharmac’s advice about the true level of funding it needs to meet increased cost pressures, including the TransPacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA),” Green Party health spokesperson Kevin Hague said today. “The TPPA is the elephant in the room. The Government knows...

The Green Party is calling on the Government to rule out any funding or investment in the controversial Ruataniwha Dam. It’s been reported that ACC is considering investing in the Ruataniwha Dam and that Crown Irrigation Investments may yet help fund the $900 million scheme, despite widespread concern about the impact it would have on Hawke’s Bay rivers. “It’s time for the Government to put the environment ahead of the interests of a few people who stand to make money out...

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council's failure to police the small-scale Waihi dam shows its massively unprepared to monitor and protect waterways at risk from the large-scale Ruataniwha Dam project, the Green Party said today. Leaked documents show Hawke's Bay Regional Council (HBRC) knew for almost three years that the Waihi dam was pouring silt into Wairoa’s waterways and drinking water, yet the Council failed to stop the pollution or issue any penalties on the dam owners. “HBRC are clearly struggling...

The Government can follow Australia’s lead and close the loopholes multinational companies are using to avoid paying their fair share of tax, the Green Party said today. New measures announced in Australia’s 2016 Budget include penalising companies caught shifting profits out of Australia at a rate of 40 percent, rather than the usual 30 percent rate. The Australian Tax Office will also get a 1,000-person strong team of tax avoidance specialists who will target large companies and wealthy individuals avoiding...

The Green Party congratulates Andrew Becroft for his appointment as the new Children’s Commissioner for New Zealand. “Andrew Becroft has been a brave champion for children, young people and for their right to justice and it’s exciting to hear he has accepted this role as Children’s Commissioner,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today. “This is a fantastic appointment for the children of New Zealand, and for the office of the Children’s Commissioner. “Andrew Becroft has made a career out...

Information obtained by the Green Party today shows the Education Minister has sought no data or proof that her Government’s drive to increase the numbers of children in Early Childhood Education (ECE) is leaving those children better off. A Green Party parliamentary question shows that school readiness of children is not being monitored, despite large changes in early childhood education.  The National Government has set a Better Public Service target of 98 percent participation rate by 2016 in Early Childhood...

Key questions remain unanswered about the Prime Minister’s role in his Government’s stopping an IRD review of our secretive foreign trust industry, the Green Party said today. Prime Minister John Key told National Radio this morning that his lawyer, Ken Whitney, misrepresented his exchange in an email to then Minister of Revenue Todd McClay by saying, ‘I have spoken to the Prime Minister about this and he advised that the Government has no plans to change the status of the...

The Green Party is calling the fishing industry’s legal challenge against the Kermadec Sanctuary self-serving and a step too far. The New Zealand Fishing Industry Association today filed legal proceedings in the High Court against the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill. "The fishing industry has overstepped the mark, with a self-serving attempt to override New Zealanders’ and the government’s ability to regulate and protect our oceans," said Green Party environment and fisheries spokesperson Eugenie Sage. “The industry’s legal action against the...

The Green Party is asking the Prime Minister to tell New Zealanders why he failed to mention that his own lawyer was the person in the foreign trust industry he’d discussed foreign trusts with and referred on to the Revenue Minister. The Green Party revealed yesterday that the Prime Minister’s lawyer, Ken Whitney, wrote to the Revenue Minister in late 2014 with his concerns about an Inland Revenue Department (IRD) review of foreign trusts, claiming the Prime Minister had told...

The Government stopped the IRD from reviewing New Zealand foreign trusts shortly after the Prime Minister’s lawyer wrote to the Revenue Minister claiming John Key had promised him the regime would not be changed. Correspondence obtained by the Green Party shows that the Prime Minister’s lawyer Ken Whitney initiated a lobbying campaign that started with the Prime Minister and appears to have successfully stopped the IRD from reforming the foreign trust regulations in 2015. “This shows how powerful vested interests...