News

  • Broader focus needed for Canterbury air plan to safeguard our health

    Environment Canterbury (ECan) needs to revise the proposed Canterbury regional air plan and beef up its monitoring and controls on harmful airborne particles to protect the health of Christchurch and Timaru residents, the Green Party said today. The call follows today’s release of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s  report on "The State of Air Quality in New Zealand". Among recommendations made by Commissioner Dr Jan Wright was a call for the Ministry for the Environment to include monitoring and...
  • Time for PM to come clean on Pacific spying

    John Key must come clean and tell New Zealanders whether the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) has illegally spied on them during mass information gathering on behalf of the United States of America, said the Green Party today.
  • Approving GE trees in Brazil will have dire implications for New Zealand

    The approval of GE trees by a Brazilian regulatory body will have implications for New Zealand’s clean, green image and potentially the pockets of taxpayers, the Green Party said today. A worldwide protest by GE campaigners of Brazilian embassies and consulates will put pressure on their government to stop the approval of commercial plantations of GE eucalyptus trees. Campaigners against GE will protest at the Brazilian Embassy in Wellington at 12.45pm today. “New Zealand is involved, as tax payer funded...
  • Pay transparency is vital to reduce inequality

    The Green Party today welcomed calls for a conversation about public sector pay caps, but stressed that the conversation must also include pay transparency and the ratios between the highest and lowest incomes, as part of a larger plan to address inequality in New Zealand. “Addressing huge rises in public sector CEOs’ pay is a step in the right direction, but what’s really needed is a comprehensive plan to reduce inequality in New Zealand,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei....
  • Green Party suggests that Productivity Commission investigate carbon intensity

    The Green Party has suggested a Productivity Commission inquiry into how New Zealand can best raise living standards while simultaneously reducing net greenhouse gas emissions. “Measuring carbon intensity and agreeing on ways to reduce it can help New Zealand support a good standard of living while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help prevent climate change,” said Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman. Carbon intensity is a measurement of how efficiently greenhouse gas-emitting resources are used. It is commonly expressed as...
  • Green Party welcomes changes to MPs’ salary setting rules

    It’s good that the Government has listened to New Zealanders and announced a fairer way to set MPs’ salaries, the Green Party said today. “We’ve been pushing for a fairer system for setting MPs’ pay for a long time and we’re glad that the Government has listened,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. “We’ve argued for MPs’ salaries to be linked to the nominal median income, and we still think this is the best option, but linking them to public...
  • MPs’ pay rises should be indexed to median income

    The Green Party is calling for cross-party support to agree on a system of indexing MPs’ salary movements to median income, following the announcement of a significant pay rise for MPs, the Green Party said today. “The Green Party is proposing that MPs’ salaries should be indexed to movements in the nominal median individual income,” Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman said. “The system needs to change. Every year MPs across Parliament say ‘oh it’s too much’, but then nothing changes....
  • Make kids' needs a priority, the Green Party urges the Government

    26 February 2015 The Green Party said today that it is challenging the Government to follow Wellington City Council’s lead and make children’s needs a priority in decision-making. Today (26 February) attendees at the Child Friendly Cities Forum co-hosted by UNICEF and Wellington City Council (WCC) will hear about how the capital city can benefit from including children’s rights and interests in decision-making processes, something the Green Party commends. “We know that better thinking around our kids is needed –...