The Green Party is calling on the Minister of Health to give an immediate Ministerial Directive to the Capital and Coast District Health Board (CCDHB) to free an autistic man who has been locked in a cell-like room for five years. The New Zealand Herald revealed today that Ashley Peacock has been kept in effectively solitary confinement in Porirua for the past five years, allowed only one and a half hours outside each day. “The Minister of Health has specific...

The Green Party today launched a campaign and petition to fight for our rivers, to ensure they are safe for swimming now and in the future. “We’ve chosen 10 rivers from around the country to visit, and highlight what needs to be done to make them clean enough to swim in again,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said at the Party’s annual conference at Lincoln. “New Zealanders want rivers that are safe to swim in that they and future generations...

Kia tau te rangimārie o te Rangi e tū nei o Papatūānuku e takoto nei o te Taiao e awhi nei ki runga i a tātou. Tīhei mauri ora! He mihi nui ki ngā mana whenua o tēnei takiwā, Ngāi Tahu, Tuahuriri, tēnā koutou katoa mō tō manaakitanga.                                                                 ...

Green Party Co-leader James Shaw has told the Green Party AGM that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Labour Party signed this week increases the chances of changing the Government at the next election. The Green Party is holding its AGM in Christchurch this weekend and includes a keynote speech from Labour leader Andrew Little on Saturday, and the launch of a new environment campaign on Sunday. “As of today we are in campaign mode. We have 18 months...

The Prime Minister should apologise for misleading the country about the Ministry of Social Development’s interactions with homeless people in south Auckland, the Green Party said today. “John’s Key’s attempt to distract New Zealanders from the Government’s housing failures has threatened the great work that the Salvation Army does with homeless families,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “He went out of his way to try to make these homeless people look bad by saying they declined Government help –...

New research showing a jump in homelessness in New Zealand is a sign that the Government’s current approach to the issue is failing, the Green Party said today. The University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) study reveals that between the 2006 and 2013 censuses, the number of New Zealanders who are “severely housing deprived” increased from 33,295 to 41,705. The figures do not include people living in emergency accommodation such as night shelters, and do not take into account the three...

The Green Party is calling on National to get smart on crime and invest more in rehabilitation services to help reduce re-offending.

The Government’s National Policy Statement (NPS) on urban development is good in theory, but won’t build the affordable houses Aucklanders are crying out for, the Green Party said today. “Aucklanders need more homes now, as well as good blueprints for how to build neighbourhoods in the future,” said Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne Genter. “New Zealanders are looking to the Government for solutions to the housing crisis, and all they’re seeing today is Nick Smith waving a planning document...

The Green Party is welcoming the long awaited start to construction of the City Rail Link (CRL) today as the first step to creating a faster and cleaner transport system in Auckland. “The CRL is great for Auckland and shows what can be done when people get behind a transformative project,” Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “Aucklanders don’t want to spend their time sitting in traffic jams, and we know that better investment in rail, bus, cycling,...

The Government must cancel plans to open seven more charter schools, as serious concerns are raised about the results of those schools already opened, the Green Party said today. Most of the annual reports of the Partnership Schools already opened have been published today. The reports have been criticised for not providing information that’s comparable with state schools, including roll-based results for NCEA. Some schools had unacceptably high rates of suspensions and expulsions, and about half failed to meet all...