The closure of the iconic Cadbury chocolate factory is a tragedy for Dunedin and local manufacturing, Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today. Three-hundred and fifty people will lose their jobs as a result of the closure of the Cadbury chocolate factory, which has been in Dunedin since 1884. “Our hearts go out to the hundreds of people and their families who are facing redundancy today,” said Mrs Turei. “The chocolate factory in Dunedin has survived major economic ups and...

The Green Party is today expressing its sympathy and support to people who have lost their homes and have been affected by the Christchurch fires. The Green Party also wants to acknowledge the incredible emergency service personnel, firefighters, helicopter pilots, Police, Defence Force, Christchurch City and Selwyn District Councils, Civil Defence staff and volunteers working around-the-clock to control the fires. "Christchurch has been through so much in the last decade, and it’s heart-breaking to see people experiencing trauma and loss all...

The wild fires burning in Hawke’s Bay and near Christchurch are an unfortunate sign of things to come if action isn't taken by governments to halt the climate crisis, the Green Party said today. The Ministry for the Environment estimates that longer and more frequent droughts, combined with water shortages, are likely to increase the risk of wildfires in Hawke's Bay and parts of Canterbury. “The wild fires we are seeing in the Hawke’s Bay and around Christchurch mirror long-term...

Housing Minister Nick Smith is already backtracking on Bill English’s suggestion he’d provide 69,000 homes in Auckland, as house prices continue to skyrocket across the country, the Green Party said today.  “The Government is fudging the numbers to create headlines they can’t back up. Meanwhile, house prices keep rising and not enough are getting built,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. “There’s a huge opportunity for the Government to step up and build thousands of affordable homes for people across...

The Green Party has decided to not stand a candidate in the Ōhāriu electorate for the 2017 general election. “The Green Party’s priority is changing the Government in 2017. We have been very clear with our supporters and the public about that since we signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Labour last year,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “I think New Zealanders will understand that, in an MMP environment, it makes perfect sense for us to not stand a...

The Green Party backs today’s open letter from the Human Rights Commission and others calling for a government inquiry into the abuse of children in state care, and for a formal apology to be made to the victims. “There is a growing list of organisations and people who are calling for a government inquiry into the abuse of children in the state’s care. It seems everyone but the Government realises that an inquiry and a formal apology are essential to...

Labour and the Green Party are joining with Grey Power to investigate the state of aged care in New Zealand, and will be touring the country to hear from patients, professionals and families over the next two months. “All New Zealanders deserve a high standard of medical care, and it’s clear that for many older people in rest homes or residential facilities, those standards still aren’t being met”, said Labour health spokesperson Annette King. “This tour will revisit the 2010...

The rising cost of living is hitting people who earn modest incomes and beneficiaries hardest, the Green Party said today. Living costs for beneficiaries and low-spending households rose more than twice as much as for high-spending households in 2016, according to Statistics NZ’s Household Living Costs Price Index data. “Bill English says the economy is humming along nicely but the truth is that while people at the top might be doing well, thousands of families on lower incomes are feeling...

Official briefings show that the Government will fall short of its target for reducing climate pollution by 85%, despite Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett saying the Government is on track to meet it, the Green Party said today. In October 2016 Paula Bennett wrote an opinion piece titled ‘We're on the Right Track on Tackling Climate Change’, in which she claimed the Government had a plan to meet its targets, including an “ambitious” electric vehicles programme. However, a briefing to...

The Green Party is calling on WorkSafe and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to undertake an urgent review of the ongoing use of methyl bromide – a highly toxic fumigant – at ports across the country. The call follows a decision made by the Environment Court last Friday to block an application by Envirofume Ltd to fumigate logs for export using methyl bromide at the Port of Tauranga. Envirofume’s application to use methyl bromide was rejected on the basis that...