Green Party Co-Leaders Marama Davidson and James Shaw have welcomed today’s announcement by Statistics New Zealand that a broad set of indicators will be developed to measure the nation’s success. “Aotearoa New Zealand will become the first country in the world to produce a comprehensive set of indicators to measure things such as our natural environment, our social wellbeing and our human and social capital,” James Shaw said. “Our new wellbeing measures will change our thinking and our decision-making. What...

James Shaw, Green Party co-leader and the Minister of Statistics, today launched the development of a new comprehensive set of environmental, social and economic indicators to better measure New Zealand’s overall wellbeing and success. “This Government is expanding beyond traditional narrow measures of economic success to reflect the wellbeing of New Zealanders, including the environmental wellbeing that sustains us,” James said. “As part of the Green Party’s Confidence and Supply Agreement with Labour, we are beginning the process of compiling a...

Figures released today showing 40 to 45 people have died due to synthetic cannabis since last June show the need for urgent cross-party work on sensible drug law reform, says the Green Party. “The current approach based on prohibition and punishment is clearly not working,” says Green Party drug law reform spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick. “The war on drugs is a failure. “We need a strategy based on evidence and harm reduction, which supports people instead of forcing them into the...

The Green Party will vote for Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill to become law, Green Party Co-Leader Marama Davidson announced today. The amended bill, which has been reported back to Parliament by the Justice Select Committee, was considered by the Green Party caucus before a final decision was made to vote for it. “We’re doing this because the confidence and supply agreement holds us to it.” Marama Davidson said. “It’s been a difficult decision, which has drawn strong feeling and robust...

The home of a giant native grasshopper is now safer after Crown land in the Mackenzie Basin was protected as conservation land, Land Information and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. “The triangle-shaped 440 ha area known as the “Tekapo Triangle” is home to the largest known population of robust grasshopper (Brachaspis robustus), a species which is only found in New Zealand’s Mackenzie Basin,” Eugenie Sage said. “The robust grasshopper is a Mackenzie Basin icon. Protecting the Tekapo Triangle will...

Alleviating the pain and suffering of patients and their whānau denied access to legal medicinal cannabis requires urgent, open and collaborative cross-party action, the Green Party said today. “We are aware that National intends to table a completely new bill on medicinal cannabis – the third one before the House in the last six months,” says Green Party Drug Law Reform spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick. “It’s a real pity that they’ve rejected all our previous attempts to work together on sensible...

From April next year, all victims of domestic violence will be able to get support from their employers to stop the violence and get help without worrying about losing their jobs. Parliament has passed the Domestic Violence – Victims’ Protection Bill sponsored by Jan Logie by 63 votes to 57. The Greens, Labour and New Zealand First stood united in supporting the bill through every stage of the parliamentary process. “I’m beyond delighted to see this law finally become a...

Green Party co-leader and Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw, says he will be reinforcing that urgency and ambition are needed regarding action on climate change as a Pacific conference gets underway tomorrow in Fiji. James is attending the second Climate Action Pacific Partnership conference (CAPPII), over the next three days in Suva. The CAPP was established in July 2017, as part of Fiji’s Presidency of the twenty third UN climate change conference of the parties (COP23). The CAPP is focused on accelerating...

The Green Party said today a sharp increase in support for cannabis use shows New Zealand law is deeply out of touch with everyday New Zealanders. A Curia Market Research poll published today, commissioned by the New Zealand Drug Foundation, demonstrated swelling support across the board – for medicinal and recreational purposes, and among supporters of every political party. “This research demonstrates that New Zealand is more than ready for a mature conversation on common-sense cannabis reform.” Green Party Sensible...

The Green Party is today fulfilling the commitment to proactively release its Ministers’ and Under-Secretary’s diaries as an important part of the party’s transparency policy. “We have always strived to make politics honest, transparent, open and accessible for everyone. Now we’re part of Government, we’re opening up our Ministers’ diaries,” said Green Party Co-leader and Minister James Shaw. “The influence of lobbying and unequal access to politicians is unhealthy in New Zealand politics.” “We want the public to have more...