Plummeting global dairy prices overnight show why the Government needs to invest in adding value not volume to the dairy sector, the Green Party said today. “Just doing more of the same – expanding stock numbers and raw commodity exports – leaves the rural economy open to the risks of continuing low global dairy prices,” Green Party primary industries spokesperson Eugenie Sage said. “National’s economic strategy bets the farm on high international dairy prices rather than building a diversified, R&D...

Official advice to the Government proves what the Green Party has been saying all along, that you cannot lift children out of poverty without addressing low income. Radio NZ has obtained new information - which Government had redacted from a previous Official Information Act response – that the Government wouldn’t solve child poverty without raising incomes.  “The Government chose to hide the fact its policies weren’t going to solve poverty because it did not want to raise low wages or...

The National Government’s voluntary guidelines for spreading toxic oil and gas waste on farmland ignore the concerns of New Zealand’s environmental watchdog about the dangers of heavy metal contamination, and could lead to greater risks to people and animals, the Green Party says. “MPI’s guidelines for spreading of oil and gas waste on farmland ignore concerns of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment about the danger of contamination by heavy metals, for example, barium and cadmium, and the need for...

New research by the London School of Economics shows that the National Government’s assumption that action on climate change will cost more than inaction is wrong, the Green Party said today. The research, published by two research institutes at the London School of Economics, concludes that the majority of the global emissions reductions needed to decarbonise the global economy can be achieved in ways that are nationally net-beneficial to countries, even leaving aside the climate benefits. “Reducing emissions and economic...

Both Labour and National are playing politics over skyrocketing demand for Auckland homes and both parties are too afraid to do what’s actually needed, which is introduce a capital gains tax on all properties but the family home, the Green Party says. “Labour and National are putting short-term political interests ahead of the interests of younger Kiwis trying to buy their first home,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today. “By backing away from a capital gains tax, Labour is...

Is John Key prepared to ask his Social Development Minister to ensure that people are getting the financial support that they need for power this winter? He needs to say whether a welfare system that is driving people into debt is delivering.   New information the Green Party has obtained shows that the Government has forced nearly 60 per cent of beneficiaries into debt to WINZ to survive.   “We need a social security system that ensures that at least...

The Green Party welcomes McDonald’s commitment to use free-range eggs in its restaurants nationwide, and is calling on all food providers, both large and small, to follow suit. “To have a major corporation commit to going free-range is fantastic,” said Green Party animal welfare spokesperson Mojo Mathers. "It sends a strong signal that keeping hens in cruel cages is no longer acceptable. “Ideally this move will translate into real financial stability for New Zealand free-range egg farmers. “This is also...

Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy has been forced to back track on his statements that everything was fine and dandy with the export of swamp kauri, the Green Party said today. Mr Guy has announced a range of measures to tighten up the extraction and export of ancient swamp kauri from wetlands in Northland, which he formerly assured New Zealanders was managed “very, very closely”. “Pressure from the Green Party and environmental groups has forced Mr Guy to bring...

Any attempt to solve Auckland’s housing demand crisis needs to dampen property speculation by both domestic and international buyers, the Green Party said today. “Rampant property investment, not ethnicity, is driving up demand for Auckland houses,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. “Non-resident foreign buyers should be prevented from investing in the New Zealand housing market, but if parties are serious about dampening the demand for Auckland property, they need to deal to tax incentives that are encouraging locals to invest...

The Green Party has announced a reshuffle of MP portfolio responsibilities following the election of James Shaw as Co-leader, with portfolios consolidated to more closely represent Government ministerial positions.