Nick Smith’s next step must be action to fix the housing crisis, now he’s accepted that Auckland is unaffordable for first home buyers, the Green Party said. “New Zealand has gone through the five stages of grief in the housing crisis, and now that the Building and Housing Minister has reached the fifth stage – acceptance – it’s time for him to take action,” Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “Nick Smith has finally recognised what people in...

Auckland could face a shortage of teachers, nurses, and police officers if house prices continue rising out of their reach, the Green Party said today. A new survey of Auckland primary schools found that high housing costs are putting teachers off seeking jobs in Auckland, leading to potential staff shortages and overcrowded classes in schools. “It’s becoming completely unaffordable for the people who make our communities function to live in our country’s biggest city,” Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said....

Lack of Government action to curb housing speculation has forced the Reserve Bank to announce new nationwide investor loan-to-value restrictions (LVRs) restrictions, the Green Party said. The Reserve Bank has today released a consultation paper proposing changes to LVRs to lessen the risks to financial stability arising from rapidly rising house prices. These proposed new restrictions would take effect on 1 September 2016. “The Green Party supports Reserve Bank actions to take some of the heat out of the property...

New research shows that taking strong action to reduce climate pollution could boost New Zealand's economic growth and allow for tax breaks for ordinary New Zealanders, the Green Party said today. New research by University of Auckland economists shows introducing a carbon tax, and raising the carbon price to $75 a tonne, could reduce emissions by 14.2 percent, and increase GDP by 2.2 percent per year – raising enough tax revenue to allow for a 2.5 percent cut in GST. “Our...

John Key’s talks with President Joko Widodo in Indonesia later today need to include a discussion of the deteriorating human rights situation in West Papua, the Green Party said today. The Prime Minister will be speaking with President Widodo as part of his trade and economic mission to Indonesia, but so far he has refused to confirm whether he will raise the widespread reports of mass arrests, torture and state-sanctioned killings in West Papua. “Today is John Key’s chance to...

The Health Minister must urgently launch an inquiry into mental health services, after serious issues with the standard of care at mental health and disability facilities around the country were revealed today, the Green Party said. A NZ Herald investigation of more than 60 Crimes of Torture reports show repeated basic breaches of patients’ rights, such as access to fresh air, water, or meaningful interaction. It also identifies systemic, recurrent problems across all District Health Boards (DHBs), including understaffing and...

The Green Party is congratulating the organics sector on taking major steps this weekend to unify the sector, as well as wishing the Soil & Health Association a happy 75th birthday. In a show of the sector’s strength and confidence about the future, major organics organisations Soil & Health and BioGro New Zealand have combined to bring their significant strengths together, and sector umbrella organisation Organics Aotearoa New Zealand has chosen to expand its membership, embracing key food industry players...

First-home buyers in Auckland are earning only about half as much as the daily increase in house prices, and are being increasingly shut out of the market, the Green Party said today. REINZ house price data released today showed the median Auckland house price rose $500 every day in June, to a new high of $821,000. “First-home buyers who had scraped together a deposit a month or two ago now won’t have enough and will have to keep saving,” Green...

The National Government’s about-turn on foreign trusts has been welcomed by the Green Party today in the wake of the Shewan Inquiry that found that foreign trusts were a likely vehicle for tax abuse and need to be opened up with increased disclosure and reporting requirements. The Green Party has been pushing for similar disclosure measures around foreign trusts since 2012 while the IRD had made repeated attempts to warn the National Government of the risks of them in 2013...

The Government must suspend the commercial catch of New Zealand's longfin eel, and accept the conclusion by Parliament's environment watchdog that the eel is on a path to extinction, the Green Party said today. In her submission on the Government's catch limits for South Island eel fisheries, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recommended that the commercial catch of longfin eels should be suspended until it is clear the species is recovering. “The Government can take the simple step of...