The Green Party has endorsed the call of the FIRST Union for Workplace Relations Minister Michael Woodhouse to audit the employment practices of labour hire companies, and says a law change is necessary to ensure labour hire workers are not exploited. “Labour hire employees are some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable workers,” said the Green Party’s Workplace Relations spokesperson, Denise Roche. “It is disturbing to hear reports that they are being exploited by employers breaking the law by not paying...

The Green Party is calling for Agresearch to stop its programme of genetic engineering experiments on animals at its Ruakura facility after a report revealing horrific birth defects and animal suffering was released this morning. The report ‘GE Animals in New Zealand’ outlines the appalling genetic engineering experimentation on thousands of sheep, cattle and goats in New Zealand, that has resulted in chronically ill animals, deformities, and huge rates of miscarriage and still birth. “Successive experiments have failed at huge...

Former Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman will today give his valedictory speech in Parliament, wrapping up seven years as an MP and nine years as Co-leader during which he put climate change and smart green economics on the political agenda. Green Party Co-leaders Metiria Turei and James Shaw both expressed their warmest thanks to Dr Norman today, paying tribute to his huge contribution over nine years as a co-leader of the Greens, and 18 years of involvement with the Party....

The National Government must urgently amend its water standards so the minimum requirement is that rivers are safe enough to swim in, after the Environment Aotearoa 2015 report released yesterday shows our lakes, rivers and other waterways are paying the price of continual dairy intensification. The report showed shocking increases in nitrogen levels caused by dairying intensification, to the point where nearly half or our waterways have enough nitrogen to trigger potentially toxic algal blooms. Today John Key said he...

The Foreign Minister must confirm whether New Zealand will be supporting Australia’s bid for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the Green Party said today.

The Green Party is calling for the Government to prevent Sky City from gaining the 230 additional pokie machines it was given in the Convention Centre deal, following a media sting by ONE News in which an actor was able to spend hundreds of dollars on pokie machines over ten hours without any intervention from SkyCity staff. SkyCity is due to activate an additional 230 pokie machines, and an additional 52 gaming tables under the terms of the Pokies for...

Green Party Co-leader James Shaw has renewed his call for cross-party action on climate change at today’s trans-transman Environmental Defence Society Climate Change and Business Conference, saying a lack of policy stability is letting business down. “Increasingly business leaders are wanting to lead on climate, and are exasperated at the Government’s lack of political leadership on these issues,” said Mr. Shaw. “National has turned their back on business certainty and price stability by weakening the ETS and rejecting offers of...

The Green Party is today introducing two amendments to Organised Crime and Anti-corruption Legislation Bill which would make it illegal to bribe officials in order to do business overseas.

Prime Minister John Key’s admission today that he did not even ask his Australian counterpart to return Kiwis currently detained in off-shore detention centres to mainland Australia shows how little he tried to advocate for them when meeting Malcolm Turnbull this week. Under questioning from Green Party human rights spokesperson Catherine Delahunty, the Prime Minister admitted he made very limited requests on behalf of detained New Zealanders and he also refused to rule out supporting Australia on their bid for...

A new report from the Productivity Commission shows that the Government has many options to help solve the Auckland housing crisis and it must choose those that will create better cities for people and the environment, the Green Party said. “The Productivity Commission’s housing report highlights how the National Government is sitting on its hands when actually it has a huge range of tools it could be using to fix the Auckland housing crisis,” Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne...