News

  • Proposed National Environmental Standard could wipe the right of communities to stop GE

    The National Government is attempting to remove the right of communities such as Northland, Hawkes Bay and the Bay of Plenty and their councils from controlling the release of genetically engineered trees in their regions. “The proposed National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF) aims to replace existing plan rules for many plantation forestry activities,” Green Party forestry spokesperson Steffan Browning said. “Increasing numbers of councils, in response to their ratepayers and businesses, are including precautionary provisions or controls for...
  • Key’s comments expose Saudi sheep scandal

    After weeks of misleading statements, it’s time the Government comes clean about the Saudi sheep scandal, the Green Party said today. “It’s clear that Murray McCully and John Key knew the supposed legal threat was completely empty all along. But they still used this empty legal threat to justify spending $11.5 million on establishing a sheep farm in a Saudi desert,” Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said. “We need the truth about whether Foreign Minister Murray McCully deliberately mislead Parliament...
  • Pope calls for Government action on climate change

    The Pope’s unprecedented call for genuine action on climate change by governments highlights the National Government’s failure to reduce New Zealand’s net greenhouse gas emissions, the Green Party said today. “The Pope warns of Governments who mask the problem of climate change rather than implementing genuine solutions, a criticism that speaks to the heart of the National Government’s actions,” Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said today. The papal encyclical, released overnight, says: “Many of those who possess more resources and...
  • Dairy growth costing the environment more than ever

    Latest reports from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment show dairy intensification is causing more pollution to our waterways, and the water quality of many waterways is continuing to decline, the Green Party said today. “While we welcome the good work the Parliamentary Commissioner Dr Jan Wright has done on this report, the findings are grim reading,” said Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty. “We would like to see the Commissioner call for a moratorium on further dairy conversions in...
  • Govt stuck in the mud over swamp kauri allegations

    The Government’s excuses for allowing the export of swamp kauri as finished products are being bogged down by mounting evidence that rough sawn slabs of kauri timber are being exported illegally, the Green Party said today. “Evidence is mounting that the Government’s claims that exports are legal because they’re finished products are entirely inaccurate, with rough sawn slabs of kauri timber openly for sale on Chinese, American, and Polish websites,” Green Party conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage said. “It’s increasingly clear...
  • National Govt continues attack on DOC and effective marine protection

    The National Government is continuing to undermine the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) work protecting New Zealand’s natural spaces by shifting responsibility for new marine reserves legislation to the Ministry for the Environment (MFE), the Green Party said today. “It means we’re likely to see weak legislation promoting Clayton’s marine reserves that allow fishing instead of effective no take marine reserves which properly protect marine life and seascapes for their own sake,” said Green Party conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage.  “The Government...
  • Papal encyclical shows National out of step with world on climate

    The Pope’s call for urgent action on climate change highlights an absence of leadership on climate from the National Government, the Green Party said today. The Pope is set to release his encyclical on climate change today at noon Vatican time (10:00pm New Zealand time). A draft of the document was leaked on Monday. “The Pope’s call for urgent action on climate change is further evidence that the National Government is not only out of step with ordinary New Zealanders...
  • Minister in denial over Police budget cuts

    The Government needs to urgently address cuts to the Police budget and push resources back into frontline community policing, the Green Party said today. In last month’s Budget, the allocation for Vote Police dropped by one percent from 1.624 billion to 1.609 billion according to the New Zealand Police Association. Police spending peaked in 2010 and has been falling since, down 5.7 percent to 2015 and 11.5 percent out to 2018 in real terms.
  • Export of ancient swamp kauri is state-sponsored negligence

    The illegal export of ancient swamp kauri logs needs to stop and a Ministerial inquiry started to prevent more environmental destruction and the loss of New Zealand taonga, the Green Party said today. “It’s clear that the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) is allowing ancient swamp kauri logs to be exported to China, despite this being illegal under the Forests Act 1949,” said Green Party conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage. “The restrictions on the removal of swamp kauri from wetlands and the...