News

  • John Key must introduce a Capital Gains Tax before it’s too late

    John Key needs to recognise his government’s policies are driving up house prices and instead adopt the Reserve Bank’s recommendation to introduce a Capital Gains Tax, the Green Party said today. “The Reserve Bank today said John Key’s policies are preventing Kiwis from owning their own homes and that a Capital Gains Tax is needed to stem the demand created by tax-free gains on property investments,” said Green Party housing spokesperson Kevin Hague. “It’s time for the Government to do...
  • Govt ignoring soaring public transport use in Auckland

    The Government should take note of huge increases in Auckland’s public transport patronage figures released today by Auckland Transport and bring forward funding for the City Rail Link, the Green Party said. “The Government should stop delaying and fund the City Rail Link immediately,” Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “The Green Party will be looking for significant increases in public transport infrastructure investment in Budget 2015. Anything less is short-changing hundreds of thousands of commuters. “At the...
  • Government's Budget announcements for kids can't be trusted

    A huge underspend in special education shows that Government Budget promises can’t be trusted and Ministers have no idea about the real needs of children, the Green Party says. More than $32 million of funding for children with special needs has not been spent by the Government, despite families of children with special needs complaining for years that they’ve been denied the support they deserve. “It’s hard to know whether this is deliberate penny pinching or a complete lack of...
  • National equals the record: seven deficits

    Dark clouds are hanging over the National Government’s tattered image as a responsible manager of the economy following John Key’s hollow pre-Budget speech, the Green Party said today. “John Key’s speech lacks a vision for a better New Zealand. All he announced today is a lower-than-inflation adjustment for research and development spending and a standard school-building programme to keep up with population growth,” Green Party co-leader Russel Norman said. “For years, National has always said that returning the Government’s books...
  • Landlords' reluctance to insulate shows need for rentals WOF

    Reports this morning that landlords are still reluctant to insulate homes for their tenants, despite subsidies to do so, show the urgent need for a Warrant of Fitness for rental homes, the Green Party says. "Making it voluntary for landlords to provide a healthy home for tenants is clearly not working and it’s time that minimum standards for rentals are made mandatory," Green Party housing spokesman Kevin Hague said. "More than a million adults and half a million New Zealand...
  • Government in denial and out of touch on Auckland housing

    John Key has once again shown how out of touch he is with ordinary New Zealanders by denying there’s a crisis in the Auckland housing market, the Green Party said today. “John Key obviously doesn’t know what it’s like for a young couple wanting to buy their first home in Auckland, who are constantly being outbid by investors looking to make a quick buck,” said Green Party housing spokesperson Kevin Hague. “He needs to stop denying there’s a housing crisis...