News

  • Govt fails to trust Cantabrians with democracy

    The Government needs to trust the people of Canterbury and return a fully elected, democratic regional council in Canterbury immediately, the Green Party said today. In today’s announcement about the regional council’s future the National Government failed to restore democracy and a fully elected Environment Canterbury Regional Council (ECan). It once again postponed the return of a fully elected council, this time until 2019.
  • Surplus surprise likely to be short-lived

    A blip on the Government’s operating balance today is likely to be short-lived and smart, green investment should be considered to kick-start a faltering economy, the Green Party said today. Treasury reported that the Government has recorded an operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) surplus of $1.2 billion in the first eleven months of the financial year that ended last week. “The good news of a government surplus is likely to be short-lived and Treasury’s downside forecasts for the...
  • Govt’s emissions reduction target 100% pure spin

    The National Government’s paltry emissions reduction target announced today means that New Zealand is not pulling its weight internationally when it comes to climate change, the Green Party said. The Government announced a 2030 emissions reduction target of 30 percent off 2005 levels. This translates to an 11 percent reduction on 1990 levels. “By committing to such a small reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, it means other countries will have to pick up our slack, or we’ll get runaway climate...
  • Environment Minister should enforce his guidelines in Taranaki, not endorse a greenwash report

    Environment Minister Nick Smith should not be endorsing the Taranaki Regional Council’s State of the Environment Report released today, because the Council didn’t follow his Ministry’s own rules when collecting the water quality data. “Nick Smith should not be endorsing a report which paints an incomplete picture of water quality in the Taranaki region,” said Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty. Ms Delahunty was referring to the public release of the Taranaki State of the Environment Report, by Nick Smith...
  • New fiscal stimulus can fix the climate and economy

    Stimulatory spending to help boost the economy can also help address climate change, the Green Party said today. ANZ Chief Economist Cameron Bagrie yesterday called for central and local Governments to move to a more stimulatory fiscal stance. “If the Government is smart, any new stimulatory spending to boost the economy can address climate change at the same time,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. “For smart, new capital expenditure, the Government can move forward spending on Auckland’s City Rail...
  • Govt should declare climate change a threat to peace and security

    The Green Party is calling on the New Zealand Government to use its presidency of the UN Security Council to introduce a determination, in the form of a presidential statement or resolution following the Open Debate, that climate change is a threat to international peace and security. “New Zealand can use its UN Security Council presidency to highlight the threat that climate change poses to international peace and security,” said Green Party global affairs spokesperson Dr Kennedy Graham. “There is...
  • More ‘greenfields’ SHAs a bad deal for Aucklanders

    The Government’s newly announced Special Housing Areas in Drury and Glenbrook will condemn thousands of Aucklanders to a life of “transport poverty”, the Green Party said today. “Nick Smith is trying to sell these SHAs as the magic bullet to ‘fix’ the Auckland housing crisis, but the real cost of these homes can’t be measured just by their over-inflated sale prices,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today. “These houses are going to be built on land miles away from...
  • Government must plan for rising sea levels

    The rebuild of Christchurch offers a unique opportunity to plan for more extreme weather events, and for rising sea levels caused by climate change,” Green Party Christchurch spokesperson Eugenie Sage said today.  Nearly 6000 properties in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula could be under threat from coastal erosion over the next century, a new report suggests.