Ratification of the Paris climate agreement is the starting gun, not the finish line, in the race to avoid dangerous and potentially catastrophic climate change, the Green Party said today. The comments follow New Zealand's ratification of the Paris climate agreement overnight, which commits the Government to making significant reductions to greenhouse gas emissions. “The Green Party has been calling for the urgent ratification of the Paris Agreement, so we’re pleased the Government has acted swiftly,” said Green Party Co-leader...

The Green Party today challenged the New Zealand Superannuation Fund to explain why it continues to invest and profit from the illegal destruction of rainforest to grow palm oil. Figures provided to the Green Party and the Herald showed the NZ Superannuation Fund, ACC Investment Fund, and Government Superannuation Fund have $22 million tied up in four foreign palm oil companies linked to the illegal burning and devastation of Indonesian rainforests. The companies are: Genting Bhd, IJM Corp Berhad, Posco,...

The Green Party has a comprehensive plan to address child poverty, and will start by reforming Working for Families to make it work for every low-income family. “The Green Party in Government will do what John Key refuses to – reduce child poverty across the board.  We are committed to that goal because, as a country, we can’t afford not to,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today.   “The UN Sustainable Development Goals, which John Key committed to, call...

National needs to reverse its cuts to our Pacific climate aid programme, as a new report shows food and water shortages have worsened across the region, the Green Party said today. Caritas’ State of the Environment report, released today, says the Pacific has faced widespread hunger and thirst in 2016 as a result of El Niño and climate change. It describes climate-related support to the region as “inadequate” and notes that climate aid from New Zealand declined in 2016. This...

More New Zealand farmers should follow Landcorp’s lead and wind up their use of Palm Kernel Expeller (PKE) as animal feed, the Green Party said today. 

The Department of Conservation’s (DOC) plan to boost kiwi numbers to nearly 100,000 by 2030 needs to be fully funded by the Government, not left to charities to pick up the tab, the Green Party said today. The comments come on the back of the release of DOC’s Kiwi Recovery Plan 2017-2027, which relies on $1.3 million to be raised by charities, such as Kiwis for Kiwi, on top of the funding provided by the Government. “The Government could easily...

The Government needs to stop playing politics with children’s lives and agree to child poverty measures and reduction targets, the Green Party said today. The Prime Minister refused to commit to a child poverty reduction target on Morning Report today, following the Children Commissioner’s call over the weekend for him to do so. “It’s ridiculous that the Government is willing to spend time and money to come up with a target to eliminate possums in New Zealand, but refuses to...

The Havelock North outbreak calls into question the Government’s growth-at-any-cost economic strategy, says Green Party Co-leader James Shaw today, in response to comments today by professors of public health, Alistair Woodward and Simon Hales

The National Government is choosing to disregard the welfare of future generations by allowing polluters to pay less than half the true cost of their climate emissions, the Green Party said today. A new OECD study conservatively estimates the cost of future climate disasters caused by emissions today - such as droughts, floods and destructive storms - at around $NZ47 for every tonne of CO2. Polluters in New Zealand currently pay just $18.85 for each tonne CO2. "National falsely believes...

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