The Government needs to stop its mass surveillance after the type of metadata collection used by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) has been ruled illegal in the United States, the Green Party said today.

Concerns over water quality at the Rio de Janeiro’s Olympics Games next year should prompt concerns here in New Zealand, where rowers at Lake Karapiro are exposed to water that’s becoming increasingly polluted. A TV3 report last night claimed rowers and Olympic officials were worried about athletes getting sick from poor water quality at venues in Rio. “If athletes are concerned about the effects to their health from water in Rio, they should question the state of our waterways here....

Failing to take action on climate change, by cutting New Zealand’s emissions, will be extremely expensive to the New Zealand economy, says the Green Party, in response the release of an unbalanced and inaccurate Government discussion document on the target they will take to the critical global climate conference in Paris later this year. 

Bill English’s refusal in Parliament today to rule out selling state houses to non-resident foreign individuals or groups, or put a restriction on those groups selling them on for non-social housing use, demonstrates that the Government’s “social housing reform” is just a state house sell off. “Make no mistake about it – New Zealand is for sale and vulnerable Kiwis’ lives could be in the hands of companies or business owners who are in the social-housing ‘game’ to land bank...

The Government’s announcement that Invercargill and Tauranga will be the first centres to have their state houses sold off is the worst possible news for vulnerable residents of those communities, and shows just how little this Government has disclosed about its privatisation scheme, the Green Party said today. “By selling off state houses in Invercargill, Tauranga and all over the country, the Government is experimenting with vulnerable people’s lives and putting them at further risk,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria...

Kua hinga he rangatira mīharo rawa atu o Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu, o Te Āo Māori, o Aotearoa hoki. Kua hinga he pou o te whakaoratanga o te Reo Māori. E rere haere ana ngā mihi aroha o Te Rōpū Kākāriki ki te whānau pani me ngā tangata huri noa i te motu e tangi ana i tēnēi wā pouri. The Green Party is saddened by the untimely death of Erima Henare and extends its aroha and condolences to his whānau, hapū and...

National is selling out our public education system by signing New Zealand up to the Trade in Service Agreement (TiSA), Green Party education spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said today.

With wages rising just 0.3 percent in the three months to March 2015 but average Auckland house prices rising 6.1 percent in the same timeframe, urgent action is needed to ensure working New Zealanders can achieve home ownership, the Green Party said today. “Young New Zealanders see the growing gap between their wages and house prices and despair that the National Government is ignoring their hopes to one day own their own home,” said Green Party housing spokesperson Kevin Hague....

The Green Party is calling on the Government to honour its promise to improve MMP by voting tonight to get rid of coat tailing and lower the party vote threshold to 4 percent.  Tonight Parliament may have the chance to vote on a bill to amend MMP by changing the electoral thresholds, including removing the hugely unpopular ‘coat-tailing’ provision. This and other changes were part of the recommendations from the independent review of MMP ignored by the National Government. “National...

Today’s passing of the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill is a win for animals around the world says Green Party MP Mojo Mathers who led the charge in Parliament to stop the testing of cosmetics on animals. The bill now has an amendment making it illegal for manufacturers to test cosmetic ingredients or finished cosmetics products on animals after Ms Mathers tabled a similar amendment. “I look forward to the day when no animal anywhere in the world is subject to...