The Government needs to set higher ethical investment standards for its default KiwiSaver providers, the Green Party said today. Radio New Zealand revealed today that a majority of the nine default KiwiSaver funds currently invest in companies involved in the manufacture of cluster bombs, landmines, and nuclear weapons. Only one default KiwiSaver provider, KiwiBank, has said that it excludes these companies from its investments. “Profiting from the production of cluster munitions, landmines, and nuclear weapons is immoral, and most Kiwis...

John Key needs to do the right thing and offer to resettle refugees and asylum seekers from Australian detention centres, the Green Party said today. Australia and Papua New Guinea confirmed yesterday that the Manus Island detention centre will close but offered no details on when, or what will happen to the people currently detained there. “Every day that these camps remain open is another day that people are living in limbo, facing abuse by guards and inhumane living conditions,”...

The Ministers of Broadcasting and Disability Issues need to publically acknowledge who is really funding captioning for the Rio Olympic Games, the Green Party said today. 

Reports that people in Auckland are looking for driveways to park and live in their cars shows how bad the housing crisis has got, the Green Party said today. “In eight years under National we’ve become a country where for too many people, having a home to call your own is a privilege, not a right,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei. “We’re seeing hardworking people with jobs who can’t afford to rent a home for them and their families....

The Government's announcement that it will ratify the Paris climate agreement this year is a small victory for the tens-of-thousands of people who marched for stronger action on climate change in December, the Green Party said today. “It's a small step in the right direction from this Government, and is significantly better than its original plan to wait five years before ratifying the Paris agreement," said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “The climate crisis requires immediate action from all countries...

The Green Party is calling for the government to fund rail infrastructure from the National Land Transport Fund, following statements by KiwiRail boss Peter Reidy that the government “hasn't really considered the rail freight challenge” in its 30 year planning for Auckland's transport system.

The Green Party applauds Countdown’s initiative to support free-range and barn egg farmers and urges other supermarkets to follow suit.

National’s Special Housing Area (SHA) policy is in tatters after revelations that there hasn’t been any building activity in 97 of the 157 Auckland SHAs, the Green Party said today. “This is yet another example of the Government doing something they say will help first home buyers, but actually it mostly just ends up helping land bankers and property speculators,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. “When less than half of National’s Special Housing Areas have actually seen any building...

The Green Party will not support new spy legislation proposed by the Government yesterday. The New Zealand Intelligence and Security Bill will bring spy legislation under one single Act, breaching the traditional demarcation between the Government Security Communications Bureau (GCSB) and the Security Intelligence Service (SIS).  It will expand the powers of the GCSB, allowing it to spy on New Zealanders. “The Bill declares its purpose to be the protection of New Zealand as a free, open and democratic society;...

The Green Party is calling on the Government to ban the toxic ingredient POEA, after answers to written questions to the Minister for the Environment revealed it is an undisclosed ingredient in almost 90 products sold in New Zealand. The European Union (EU) Commission has recommended that EU member states ban the use of Polyoxyethylene tallow amine (POEA), a common ingredient in herbicides like Roundup, which researchers expect could cause cell damage and death, and may cause pregnancy problems including...