Low overall inflation provides ideal economic conditions for the Government to tackle snowballing housing costs, stagnating wages, and increasing climate pollution, the Green Party said today. The Consumers Price Index released today showed 2015 experienced the lowest level of annual inflation since 1999, at just 0.1 percent. “Relatively high GDP growth, low inflation, and low interest rates have created good conditions for the Government to invest in tackling the big economic issues like climate change and inequality,” Green Party finance...

The Green Party is welcoming the recent rise in the price on carbon, and is calling on the National Government to commit to serious reforms of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) so that New Zealand can start to reduce domestic pollution, the Green Party said today. The cost imposed on polluters under the ETS reached $10 a tonne, the highest price polluters have faced in four years. Carbon prices have, to date, been too low to have a discernible effect...

The government has a clear role to play to support people through the job losses and disruption of what the World Economic Forum is describing as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Green Party said today. The World Economic Forum has predicted that a perfect storm of technological, demographic, and other socio-economic forces will lead to a net loss of over five million jobs over the next four years across 15 major economies. The Future of Work Report 2016 predicts that...

The Green Party is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local councils to urgently reassess the safety of glyphosate, the carcinogenic active ingredient in weedkillers like Roundup, as it launches a nationwide ‘spray-free streets and parks’ campaign today at Onepoto Domain in Auckland. “Our survey of councils shows thousands of litres of glyphosate are used on berms, playgrounds and parks every year, putting people at risk from a probable carcinogen,” said Green Party pesticides spokesperson Steffan Browning. “Mums...

A lack of government leadership on climate change is leaving New Zealand businesses exposed to risks that are now ranked as the biggest facing businesses globally, the Green Party said today. Climate change has been ranked as the number one risk to business over the next decade, a World Economic Forum report has found. The Global Risks Report 2016 ranks the failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation as the top medium term threat ahead of water crises, large-scale involuntary...

The National Government’s hands-off approach to the housing crisis over the past seven years has led to New Zealand becoming the most unaffordable place in the world to buy a house, the Green Party said today. A new report by global financial experts Fitch Ratings that includes house price to income ratios shows that New Zealanders aren’t earning enough relative to the sky-rocketing cost of housing, and that the construction sector isn’t building enough houses to meet demand. “This report...

The National Government must make achieving equal pay for New Zealand women a priority in 2016, or risks further contributing to the growing gender pay gap, the Green Party said today. The New Zealand Herald today revealed that the gender pay gap is the worst it’s been in almost 10 years, with the median wage for Kiwi men almost $8,000 more than Kiwi women. “We are at a crisis point with the gender pay gap in this country,” said Green...

The Green Party would like the Reserve Bank to make public its reasons for changing its policy to charge media outlets for Official Information Act (OIA) requests.

Low oil prices give the Government the perfect opportunity to begin withdrawing its support for oil exploration and risky deep sea oil drilling, the Green Party said today. Oil prices have fallen over the past 18 months, dropping from more than $100 a barrel to just over $30. Some analysts believe prices could sink to as low as $10 this year. “Low oil prices present the perfect opportunity for the Government to start withdrawing its support for oil exploration and...

The Green Party is calling for the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) to ban herbicide-tolerant swedes that are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of dairy cows, after a report into their use told farmers to either not use them, or to be cautious about their use. “DairyNZ’s recent report into the safety of herbicide-tolerant swedes makes several recommendations that include not using the product, which begs the question that if it’s so harmful, why is it still being sold?”...