Latest reports from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment show dairy intensification is causing more pollution to our waterways, and the water quality of many waterways is continuing to decline, the Green Party said today. “While we welcome the good work the Parliamentary Commissioner Dr Jan Wright has done on this report, the findings are grim reading,” said Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty. “We would like to see the Commissioner call for a moratorium on further dairy conversions in...

The Government’s excuses for allowing the export of swamp kauri as finished products are being bogged down by mounting evidence that rough sawn slabs of kauri timber are being exported illegally, the Green Party said today. “Evidence is mounting that the Government’s claims that exports are legal because they’re finished products are entirely inaccurate, with rough sawn slabs of kauri timber openly for sale on Chinese, American, and Polish websites,” Green Party conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage said. “It’s increasingly clear...

The National Government is continuing to undermine the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) work protecting New Zealand’s natural spaces by shifting responsibility for new marine reserves legislation to the Ministry for the Environment (MFE), the Green Party said today. “It means we’re likely to see weak legislation promoting Clayton’s marine reserves that allow fishing instead of effective no take marine reserves which properly protect marine life and seascapes for their own sake,” said Green Party conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage.  “The Government...

The Green Party is calling on the Government to rule out huge increases to electricity lines charges, in the wake of a suggestion from the Electricity Authority that some households could be facing $500 increases to their yearly electricity bills just because of where they live.

The Pope’s call for urgent action on climate change highlights an absence of leadership on climate from the National Government, the Green Party said today. The Pope is set to release his encyclical on climate change today at noon Vatican time (10:00pm New Zealand time). A draft of the document was leaked on Monday. “The Pope’s call for urgent action on climate change is further evidence that the National Government is not only out of step with ordinary New Zealanders...

The Government needs to urgently address cuts to the Police budget and push resources back into frontline community policing, the Green Party said today. In last month’s Budget, the allocation for Vote Police dropped by one percent from 1.624 billion to 1.609 billion according to the New Zealand Police Association. Police spending peaked in 2010 and has been falling since, down 5.7 percent to 2015 and 11.5 percent out to 2018 in real terms.

The illegal export of ancient swamp kauri logs needs to stop and a Ministerial inquiry started to prevent more environmental destruction and the loss of New Zealand taonga, the Green Party said today. “It’s clear that the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) is allowing ancient swamp kauri logs to be exported to China, despite this being illegal under the Forests Act 1949,” said Green Party conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage. “The restrictions on the removal of swamp kauri from wetlands and the...

The Green Party has launched a Member’s Bill that would require the Government to lift New Zealand’s refugee quota to 1000 per year, the first increase in 28 years. The Bill is being launched in advance of world refugee day this Saturday and comes on the heels of calls for New Zealand to increase its refugee quota. The current quote is 750. “John Key has said increasing our quota won’t do much, but it will make a massive difference to...

An International Energy Agency report out today shows the need for New Zealand to develop a clear and practical plan to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions, the Green Party said. “The IEA report has some useful pointers that the Government must act on to reduce fossil fuel burning for energy use and end fossil fuel subsidies immediately,” Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes said. “New Zealand needs a plan to reduce emissions at home, as well as to keep contributing...

The Green Party is asking the Prime Minister confirm whether he supports paying money to people smugglers, as the Australian Government has been accused of doing.