Māori place names have been restored to the small central North Island town of Benneydale, and a nearby stretch of the North Island Main Trunk railway announced Minister for Land Information Eugenie Sage. Benneydale has been changed to a dual name ‘Maniaiti / Benneydale’ and the main trunk railway between Te Awamutu and Taumarunui, is now named ‘Te Ara-o-Tūrongo’ following a request from Ngāti Maniapoto. “I am pleased to restore official place names which bring to light our history for...

The Green Party welcome the fresh water policy proposals announced for consultation by Government that seeks to treat water as taonga and recognise te mana o te wai (“the innate life force of the water”). “Water is life and the wellbeing of our communities and nature depends on it. We have long needed a holistic approach that ensures our water stays clean and healthy from the mountain to the sea”, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. “The proposals set...

Green Party Co-leader and housing spokesperson Marama Davidson today welcomed the change to KiwiBuild that include $400 million earmarked for progressive homeownership. 

“I congratulate Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi, for deciding to introduce an amendment to cap interest rates on high cost loans”, Green Party spokesperson on Consumer Affairs Gareth Hughes said today.

A project with a zero waste vision for marae is getting extra support to expand into new regions as part of the Government’s plan to tackle New Zealand’s long term waste problem announced Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage in Raglan today. A grant of $528,000 from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) will help the marae-based Para Kore programme to expand to four new regions: Te Tai Tokerau (Northland), Wairoa, Maniapoto (Waikato/Waitomo) and Wairarapa. “It’s great to...

The Green Party is welcoming today’s announcement of a pilot programme to provide school lunches in 30 schools, expanding to 120 schools by 2021. “All kids deserve a full education and a full stomach. A guaranteed lunch every day will have a huge impact on learning for the students who need it the most,” said Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. “Too many children are going to school hungry on a daily basis. It affects their ability to concentrate, to learn,...

The Green Party is disappointed with the outcome of a review into MP pay that is likely to still increase politicians’ pay beyond the wages of other working New Zealanders.    “The plan is to revert to an older system for setting MP pay through the Remuneration Authority”, Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said today. “While this should prevent the sort of sharp increases in MP payments we’ve seen recently, it’s still not good enough. “It’s disappointing when we could...

News that previous National Trade Minister Todd McClay facilitated a large donation from racing industry billionaire Lin Lang demonstrates the need for donation reform in New Zealand. “This is deeply alarming and highlights why we need stronger and more transparent political donation laws”, says Green Party Electoral spokesperson Golriz Ghahraman. “This is another example of powerful vested interests tipping big money into the coffers of the National Party. This can be dangerous and we’ve seen this play out badly for...

Today’s Independent Policy Conduct Authority (IPCA) report into the 2014 raid on Nicky Hager’s home confirms that Police conduct was wrong and overstepped the clear legal protections that journalists have to defend their sources and provide independent critical voices in our democracy, the Green Party said. “Police have questions to answer about whether journalists from now on can expect to receive better and more lawful treatment than Mr Hager did. Police need to assure all New Zealanders that they are...

Aucklanders will soon have a new community recycling centre as part of the Government’s plan to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills announced Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage alongside Auckland Mayor Phil Goff in Auckland today. A major new community recycling centre will be developed by Auckland Council in Onehunga supported by $2.2 million of funding from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund. The Waste Minimisation Fund recycles the landfill levy into projects...