National's decision to shift the state provision of housing to third parties is a smokescreen for the Government decreasing the provision of affordable housing, the Green Party said today. "What National should be doing is increasing the supply of both social and state housing," Green Party housing spokesperson Jan Logie said. "Newly appointed Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett admits that the demand for state housing exceeds the supply. There are currently over 3,000 applicants with a severe and persistent need...

National ignored official advice and is spending less than half what was originally recommended by the Ministry of Transport on urban cycleways, the Green Party has revealed today. Documents obtained under the Official Information Act show that the Ministry of Transport (MOT) recommended in July that the Government spend $260 million on upgrading urban cycleways. The Government rejected this advice, announcing only $100 million of new spending over four years despite years of ‘insufficient funding’. “National’s $100 million investment into...

The return of Green MP Steffan Browning to Parliament on the special votes means the Green Party will continue this term with a strong team of 14 MPs again. "This is great news for the Green Party and shows we held our own in the election, returning the same number of MPs to Parliament, despite a swing to the Government," said Green Party co-leader Russel Norman. "The Green Party continues this term with a strong team of 14 MPs, a...

The New Zealand public have once again been deceived by National and SkyCity regarding the cost of the International Convention Centre deal, the Green Party said today. SkyCity is building a hotel on land that the Government surrendered to SkyCity on the proviso that the land was essential to build a Convention Centre. In response to a written question from the Green Party Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce stated that the contract with SkyCity "prevents the land being used for...

The New Zealand Government needs to urge China to respect human rights and the freedom to protest in Hong Kong, the Green Party said today. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters have taken to Hong Kong's streets in response to a ruling by Beijing that it would vet candidates wishing to run for Hong Kong's leadership in 2017. "The people of Hong Kong deserve the right to enjoy the democracy that was promised to them by the Chinese Government in...

A new report on global extreme weather events confirms climate change was a factor in last year’s crippling North Island drought. “Scientists are generally wary of linking single weather events to climate change, so this is a significant acknowledgement of the role man-made climate change played what was one of the worst droughts in New Zealand’s history,” said Green Party climate change spokesperson Dr Kennedy Graham. The report, “Explaining extreme events of 2013 from a climate perspective”, was published overnight...

The Government needs to start reporting the effects of welfare reforms on children, said the Green Party today. A report released today by the Child Poverty Action Group notes that the Ministry of Social Development is providing no reporting on how children are impacted by benefit penalties and sanctions, which can see income support halved. "Halving a family's income is likely to have a very negative impact on children but the Government isn't even looking into the effects of their...

Appointing ACT’s David Seymour as Parliamentary Under Secretary to the Education Minister will mean taxpayers picking up an even bigger bill for the Government’s failing charter schools experiment, the Green Party said today. “David Seymour’s appointment shows the Government’s clear commitment to a privatisation agenda in education,” said Green Party education spokesperson Catherine Delahunty. “ACT has made no secret of its belief that the private sector should take over the public education system. “The ACT-National agreement announced today commits even...

An international dairy report has shown Fonterra is adding little value to its dairy exports compared to European and Chinese dairy companies, exposing the weakness of the National Government’s volume-led dairy strategy, the Green Party said today. The International Farm Comparison Network's (IFCN) 2014 dairy company survey ranks the world’s largest milk processors in terms of milk volume collected and the estimated turnover per kg milk – a crude indicator of value creation. While Fonterra ranks second in the world...

Another steep rise in Auckland public transport patronage in August demonstrates the need for the Government to start investing in rail and busway infrastructure now, not in the 2020s, the Green Party said today. “The rail network is close to peak capacity already and John Key needs to start on projects like the City Rail Link (CRL) now to ensure the city keeps moving,” Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said today. Auckland Transport’s latest patronage figures showed rail...