Simon Bridges needs to commit to fully funding light rail to Auckland’s airport and North Shore to break the city’s traffic gridlock, the Green Party said today. A NZ Transport Agency briefing obtained by the Green Party shows the Government is considering fully funding major public transport projects in Auckland as it currently does with major motorway projects. The briefing identified light rail to the airport and North Shore as projects that could be 100 percent funded by central government....

News that just one small exploration permit has been awarded in the latest oil and gas Block Offer shows it’s time for the Government to give up its fossil fuel strategy and embrace clean energy, the Green Party said today.  Previous Block Offers have usually seen 10 or more permits awarded for total areas up to 46,000 sq km, while this year the single permit awarded has an area of just 219 sq km. “With just one local company getting...

The Green Party welcomes the move by Sanford, Moana New Zealand and WWF New Zealand to restrict commercial fishing in Māui dolphin/popoto habitat north of New Plymouth, and is calling on the Government to increase protection for the severely endangered species. “Sanford and Moana New Zealand have shamed the Government by taking a step that the National Government hasn’t been prepared to,” said Green Party fisheries spokesperson Eugenie Sage. “But without stronger protection sooner from threats such as set nets,...

Green Party MPs Catherine Delahunty and Steffan Browning are announcing today that they will not seek re-election in 2017. Both Ms Delahunty and Mr Browning will continue in their roles as Green Party MPs until the election. “I’m very proud of my eight years as a Green Party MP, and the many, many years I spent before that as an activist fighting for women, our environment, and the rights of tangata whenua,” said Ms Delahunty, who holds the water, education...

National needs to do an about-face on climate change if we want New Zealand to stop setting new records for the hottest year ever, the Green Party said today. The National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) predicts that 2016 will be the hottest ever recorded in New Zealand, breaking the previous record set in 1998. The record confirms the longer-term global trends of climate change. “2016 is going to be the hottest year on record and things are...

Incoming Prime Minister Bill English should make a commitment to all New Zealanders that he will do what John Key refused to – build more affordable homes, close tax loopholes for property speculators, and end homelessness, the Green Party said today. The median Auckland house now costs $851,944 and the median house price nationwide is now $520,000, a new record high, according to data released today by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ). “Bill English needs to make...

Beaches in Wellington, Wairarapa, and the top of the South Island are at less risk of being decimated by an oil spill after Anadarko surrendered its fossil fuel exploration permits in the Pegasus Basin, the Green Party said today. “As we head into summer, people can celebrate that the chance of an oil spill on their favourite beach just got much lower,” Green Party energy and resources spokesperson Gareth Hughes said. “Our beautiful beaches are an iconic part of the...

Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman needs to stand up for the health of all Kiwi kids, recognise he got it wrong, and move to implement a sugary drinks tax, the Green Party said today. The New Zealand Dental Association and its partner organisations, including Diabetes NZ and the Cancer Society, have today issued a joint statement calling for a sugary drinks tax, to help combat our growing childhood obesity problem. “The way this is going, the Minister of Health will...

The Green Party today released its updated drug law reform policy, which would regulate access to cannabis and allow for medicinal cannabis. “The Green Party’s cannabis policy is evidence-based, and is focussed on ensuring New Zealanders’ health and wellbeing,” Green Party health spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said today. “Current cannabis laws are out of date and causing harm, including the criminalisation of individuals and families.  “A harm-minimisation approach means that people’s mental and physical wellbeing is prioritised ahead of criminalising...

The Green Party will today support the Hurunui/Kaikoura Earthquake Recovery Bill through Parliament, after the legislation was significantly improved during the Select Committee process, following pressure from the Green Party and others. “We’d caution the Government to use the extraordinary powers in this Bill carefully and in partnership with communities to get quake- affected regions up and running again,” said Green Party civil defence spokesperson Jan Logie. “We hope the many new checks and balances in this Bill create a...