The Department of Conservation’s (DoC) decision to allow the habitat of threatened species such as long-tailed bat to be used for an irrigation reservoir sets a dangerous precedent that threatens our native wildlife, the Green Party said today. DoC’s Director-General has agreed to revoke the conservation status of 22 hectares of Ruahine Forest Park to allow the Ruataniwha irrigation dam and reservoir to proceed in return for 170 ha of private land called the Smedley Block. “DoC’s decision to sacrifice...

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) makes it more likely that everyday New Zealanders will become tenants in our own land, while private companies snap up the limited gains of about one percent of GDP, the Green Party said today. “The TPPA is a bad deal because the costs will be worn by everyday New Zealanders while the benefits will go to private companies,” Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said. “New Zealanders are more likely to become tenants in our own...

The Green Party is celebrating the conclusion of an uphill battle to get National to run a competitive tender process for New Zealand’s biggest banking contract – the Government’s master banking contract. Westpac has been the Government’s banker for over 25 years and the Green Party has pushed to have this cosy banking relationship exposed and put up for tender. The open tender process will now save taxpayers $120 million in lower bank fees over the next eight-year contract. “The...

New data released today shows that the difference between median hourly wages for men and women is the largest since National took office in 2008 – evidence that National’s hands-off approach to closing the gender pay gap has failed, the Green Party said. The difference between men’s and women’s median hourly wages was 11.8 percent in the June quarter 2015, according to the Statistics NZ New Zealand Income Survey, an increase from 9.9 percent in June 2014.* “It’s clear that...

The Government must listen to Pacific leaders and start taking climate change seriously on the international stage, the Green Party said today. "In addressing the United Nations today, John Key said he hoped Paris would amount to a meaningful agreement on climate change,” said Green Party co-leader James Shaw. "And yet the emissions reduction target that New Zealand is taking to Paris is embarrassingly weak.” "Key has been in talks with Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. If the National Government...

The Green Party will return all prisons to state control because a person’s liberty should not be

Hekia Parata’s admission that the Government wants to tie school funding to achievement data, and her bizarre comments about charter schools and Apartheid, shows just how flawed National’s ideologically driven education reforms are, the Green Party said today. The Minister made the comments in her speech at the Post-Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) annual conference in Wellington. “The Minister has done a complete flip-flop on tying school funding to achievement data – first she ruled it out and now we’ve learned...

Shell’s decision to halt oil exploration off the Otago coast is another blow to the Government’s oil obsession, the Green Party said today. “Shell is joining the likes of Anadarko, Petrobras, and TAG Oil, who have all postponed, cut back, or cancelled their drilling operations in New Zealand waters," said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “The Government needs to see the writing on the wall – oil is a sunset industry and we need to be focusing on low-carbon economic...

The National Government should immediately move to secure and balance the rights of Kiwis living in Australia, said the Green Party today. Australia recently stepped up its policy of indiscriminate deportation of people who have been imprisoned for over 12 months, under new laws enacted in December 2014. Among those awaiting deportation in detention centres are about 300 New Zealanders. The New Zealand Green Party and the Australian Green Party have jointly called for these indiscriminate deportations to be halted,...

The Government should be showing leadership and replacing the Crown cars with high-end electric cars instead of buying 34 more diesel BMW limousines, the Green Party said. “The Government has wasted the opportunity to lead the way and start replacing the Crown fleet with electric cars, instead of buying more BMW diesels,” Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “The latest high-end electric cars like Teslas can travel about 400km on one charge so range is no excuse, especially...