Prime Minister Bill English is running scared from plans to set a fair price for the commercial use of water, the Green Party said today. The Green Party launched its election campaign yesterday with a policy to protect drinking water, including an interim levy of 10c per litre on companies who bottle and export drinking water, and the creation of a working group to resolve the issue of rights and responsibilities for water. “In government, we’ll develop a fair way...

The Green Party is today launching a policy that will ensure New Zealanders have access to clean, safe drinking water with measures including making water bottlers and exporters pay for the water they take and sell. The policy was announced by Co-leader James Shaw today in Nelson, as part of the Green Party’s election campaign launch. “Forty-five thousand New Zealanders – the equivalent population of Nelson – have to put up with faecal contamination in their drinking water at least...

The Green Party will fiercely oppose Bill English’s plan to override the Supreme Court decision that saved part of the Ruahine Forest Park from being flooded for the Ruataniwha dam. Bill English signalled yesterday that he would change the law to override the Supreme Court’s ruling that prevents the Department of Conservation from swapping conservation land for private farmland. “If National changes this law then specially protected forest and the habitat of threatened species will be destroyed forever,” said Green...

The Green Party is welcoming the release of a new NZCER report on te reo Māori revitalisation that recommends universal te reo in all schools, and is calling on Nikki Kaye to release a plan to build teacher capacity so it can be achieved.  

The Green Party is celebrating a big win for nature today with the Supreme Court ruling that removing protected status from conservation land is permitted only when the conservation values there no longer warrant continued special protection. “This is a big win for nature, despite the National Government’s best efforts to flood and destroy an important piece of the Ruahine Forest Park,” said Green Party conservation spokesperson Mojo Mathers. “It was a sad day for the environment when the Minister...

The Green Party is announcing today that in Government it will fast-track the building of a new rail line to Auckland airport to be completed in 2021, in time for the next America’s Cup. By light rail it will take approximately 43 minutes to travel from Wynyard Quarter, up Queen Street and Dominion Road to the airport. The $2.3 billion rail line will be a project of national significance funded from the transport fund. In Government we will also investigate...

Nick Smith’s inability to provide any real answers about his failed Special Housing Areas (SHA) experiment in Auckland shows a government that is running away from solving the affordable housing crisis, the Green Party said today. “It boggles the mind that Building and Construction Minister Nick Smith does not know how many affordable homes were being built in Auckland’s Special Housing Areas,” said Green Party Co-Leader Metiria Turei. “SHAs were his big, bright idea – how can he claim to...

WasteMINZ’s A Wasted Opportunity confirms that National has squandered potentially up to 9000 green jobs, $500 million in economic benefits, and a cleaner environment for New Zealand, the Green Party said today. The report examines the potential impacts of adjustments to the waste levy - a per tonne charge set by the government - and concludes that a higher rate would have a host of economic and environmental benefits for New Zealand. “A Wasted Opportunity is a damning indictment on...

  Kia ora kotou, nihao, namaste, annyong, kamusta, talofalava, bula, salam alaikum And warm Pacific greetings – on this cold Dunedin morning – to you all. *** It’s a privilege to be representing the Green Party at your AGM. We in the Greens are deeply concerned that the debate about immigration policy in New Zealand has, over the course of time, come to be dominated by populist politicians preaching a xenophobic message in order to gain political advantage. This ugly strain...

It was with great sadness that the Green Party learned of the passing of Bruce Stewart QSM (Te Arawa, Tainui), the visionary founder of Tapu Te Ranga marae.