The Green Party is welcoming a report released by the Prime Minister’s Chief Scientist, Sir Peter Gluckman, which acknowledges our justice system is broken and incarcerating more New Zealanders won’t fix it. “This report points the way forward for justice in New Zealand, and fits with what the Green Party has been advocating for some time,” said Green Party justice spokesperson Golriz Ghahraman. “I know, having worked on the frontlines of our criminal justice system, that so-called ‘tough-on-crime’ rhetoric and...

In a world-leading conservation effort, mice have been successfully eradicated from Antipodes Island in the New Zealand Subantarctic, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. Million Dollar Mouse, a joint initiative between the Department of Conservation (DOC) and funding partners the Morgan Foundation, WWF-New Zealand, Island Conservation and public supporters, has successfully delivered one of the most complex island eradication projects ever undertaken.  “This is huge news for conservation both in New Zealand and internationally,” Ms Sage said. “Special plants and...

Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage are accelerating work to improve protection of the nationally endangered Hector’s dolphin, after five were accidentally killed in a fishing net off Banks Peninsula. The dolphins were trapped in a commercial set net about six nautical miles north of Banks Peninsula on 17 February. The fisherman reported the incident to Fisheries Inshore New Zealand (FINZ) and to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). Mr Nash and Ms Sage have identified a...

The Green Party has today announced that, from this week, most of its allocation of questions for Question Time will be handed over to the Leader of the Opposition to use, in order to limit the prevalence of “patsy questions” in Parliament and to strengthen the ability of Parliament to hold the Government of the day to account.  The only exception is if the Green Party wishes to use a question to hold the Government to account on a particular...

Nominations for Conservation Boards have been reopened to ensure they reflect the diverse communities they serve, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The Department of Conservation re-opened the nomination process for recruiting a broader cross-section of members from the different communities each board represents on the Minister’s recommendation. The nomination process for the 2018 appointments was undertaken late last year and may have been affected by the Christmas holidays. The Department received 143 nominations for a total of 45 positions...

From today New Zealanders can register their interest in being part of the Government’s consultation on what the Zero Carbon Bill should look like, Climate Change Minister James Shaw has announced.

The Government is inviting input as it sets the priorities for New Zealand at international climate change negotiations.

The May round of the Waste Minimisation Fund will target projects that build in reducing waste from the outset, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said today.  “We need to stop thinking that recycling is the answer to our waste problems when actually producing less waste in the first place is better for the environment and our country,” Ms Sage said.  “I hope to see projects come through that encourage a circular economy where we make, use and return products and...

New Zealand has joined the United Nations-led CleanSeas campaign to rid our oceans of plastic, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. Ms Sage signed a pledge showing New Zealand’s commitment to the global CleanSeas campaign at the Volvo Ocean Race Village in Auckland. More than 40 other countries have already signed up. “Turtles and other wildlife are being killed by litter in our oceans. Also the issue of microplastic in our oceans and its effect on the food chain...

In the wake of the signing of the CPTPP, the Green Party is calling on all parties in Parliament to rule out signing any future trade deals with ISDS clauses. “No future governments should sign trade agreements with ISDS clauses in them,” said Green Party trade spokesperson Golriz Ghahraman.  “ISDS clauses are a threat to our sovereignty, to our people and to our environment. We are giving foreign investors and multinational corporates the right to sue us for future progressive law...