News

  • Green Party opposes MP pay changes

    The Green Party wants real constraints on MPs’ pay, not hurried superficial changes that continue large annual pay rises for MPs. “The Government has tabled yet more changes to MPs’ pay today, without consulting with the public or even giving other political parties time to consider the proposals,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei. “We oppose this latest change, because we are not convinced that it provides a fairer way to set MPs’ pay. “What’s needed is a completely different approach,...
  • Bridges’ tunnel doesn’t make sense

    The Waitemata Harbour tunnel idea announced today by Transport Minister Simon Bridges doesn’t make sense unless the City Rail Link is built first, the Green Party said. “The Government is trying to sugar coat this tunnel announcement by saying it can include rail, but rail to the North Shore won’t work until Britomart is expanded for the City Rail Link,” Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “The City Rail link should be the number one transport priority in...
  • NZ’s spying is damaging relations with our Pacific neighbours

    New Zealand’s relationships with its Pacific neighbours have been damaged by the latest revelations that the GCSB has been spying on Cabinet Ministers and top level Government officials in the Solomon Islands, the Green Party said today. “Our relationships with Pacific countries are hugely important and the Government now needs to fix the damage it’s done by spying,” said Green Party security and intelligence spokesperson Kennedy Graham. “When it first became known that the GCSB was spying on the Pacific,...
  • Metiria Turei asks John Key on a lunch date

    Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei is inviting John Key to join her for lunch at decile 1 Windley School in Porirua next Wednesday, following the Prime Minister’s offer to undertake such a visit during question time yesterday. “I’m challenging John Key to come face to face with the reality of hunger for some of our kids. When he does, he will find it harder to vote against my Bill to alleviate child hunger in schools,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria...
  • Govt surplus looking unlikely

    The Treasury’s announcement today that a deficit for the 2014-15 financial year is likely shows that the Government is failing to meet the key economic target that it set itself, the Green Party said today. “National has always emphasised that achieving a surplus is its number one goal, but it looks like it will fail to achieve that goal and instead we’ll have a $572 million deficit this financial year,” Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman said. “We’re now seeing evidence...
  • Government washes its hands of better protection for nature

    The Government has distanced itself from the Auckland Council decision to allow the destruction of a centuries-old kauri and rimu trees in Titirangi to make way for two houses, the Green Party said today. When asked by Green Party conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage in Parliament today about the lack of protection afforded to the kauri by the Resource Management Act, Environment Minister Nick Smith said it was up to councils to decide the fate of such trees and he would...