The Government must take strong action to clamp down on fishers who dump fish illegally and threaten our fish stocks, the Green Party said today. Leaked reports show that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) was aware that illegal fish dumping has been rife in the industry, with between 20 to 100 percent of some quota fish being dumped with every catch. “MPI is either running scared of the fishing industry or happy to look the other way on illegal...

More funding for sexual violence services is a much needed boost for a sector that has struggled with underfunding and a lack of commitment from successive governments, the Green Party said today. The Government’s announcement of funding for sexual violence services follows a Select Committee inquiry initiated by Green MP Jan Logie, which had recommended improving support for the sector. “More funding for sexual violence services is an important first step that will come as an enormous relief for those...

The Green Party is calling on the Government to wipe any debt that families owe Work and Income after being forced to borrow to pay for emergency accommodation. “It’s utterly cruel to inflict an enormous debt on families who, through no fault of their own, have not got a home to live in,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. “The Government has announced it’ll provide only seven days temporary accommodation before forcing families to pay Work & Income back for any...

The Green Party is calling on Climate Minister Paula Bennett to set a firm deadline within in the next four years for including agriculture in the Emissions Trading Scheme.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is in denial if it thinks under-reporting of fishing catch isn’t important, the Green Party said today.

New proposals from the Electricity Authority could force some households to pay hundreds of dollars a year more for power to subsidise big business users, making it even harder for families to warm their homes in the winter, the Green Party said today. The Electricity Authority’s (EA) reviews of transmission pricing principles and distributed generation pricing principles were released today. People in 14 regions are likely to get bigger power bills, while bills could be lower for people in 15 regions....

The Green Party is calling for more government observers on commercial fishing vessels and at ports following the release of an international study showing major under-reporting of commercial fish catches in New Zealand waters. “The Government can’t claim that our fisheries management is sustainable when it clearly has no idea how many fish are being taken,” said Green Party primary industries spokesperson Eugenie Sage. A new report by the University of British Columbia, with research from the University of Auckland, shows...

Auckland Council’s decision to replace safe hot water-based weed control with the potentially toxic herbicide glyphosate in playgrounds, parks, and streets raises questions about whether communities are having their desire to remain spray-free ignored, the Green Party said. On Friday, an attempt by two Auckland Councillors to return to using hot water-based weed management across the whole city was ruled out of order. “It looks like communities and local boards who want to be spray free are being ignored by...

Urgent action is needed to increase the supply of warm, healthy rental homes after a TV3 investigation into homelessness and overcrowding in Auckland. “People are saying the housing crisis was ten years in the making. For most of those ten years, National’s been in charge while New Zealand has become a country where families are forced to live in garages and cars,” Green Party social housing spokesperson Marama Davidson said. “Families heading into a winter of sleeping in a cold...

The Government should be focused on helping problem gamblers and their families, not producing PR that glorifies the pokie machine industry, the Green Party said. The Department of Internal Affairs is producing an e-booklet to “promote the benefit of gaming machine funding to communities”, announced this week in its regular Gambits:now newsletter for the gambling industry. “The Government should be helping problem gamblers get their lives back on track, not wasting public money on PR for the pokies industry,” Green...