Recent analysis of trends in inequality over the last 20 years by a tax consultant gives a misleading impression of the reality of inequality and poverty in New Zealand, the Green Party says. Peter Sherwin, Partner, Privately Held Business at Grant Thornton New Zealand, has looked at Ministry of Social Development data and says there is no evidence of a growing divide in New Zealand over the last 20 years. “What Mr Sherwin didn't point out was that in the six...

National is overseeing massive dairy conversions in the Waikato that are likely to undermine the $210 million taxpayer funded clean-up of the Waikato River, the Green Party has revealed today. State-owned enterprise Landcorp is converting more than 25,700 hectares of pine forest in the Upper Waikato to dairy. Once completed, the catchment will be home to 30,000 more dairy cows. “This is another example of National’s ‘break it then use taxpayers’ money to fix it’ approach to rivers,” said Green...

Some of the world’s best economists have today reaffirmed the urgency and the benefits of shifting to a low carbon, high innovation economy, the Green Party said. A new report from the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate has found that investments to help fight climate change can also drive economic development and jobs, but time is running out for the massive shift needed to secure a stable climate. The report has been timed to inform discussions at the...

The Green Party will stop National's campaign of punishing tertiary students and do more than any other party to support young Kiwis into study, Green Party students spokesperson Gareth Hughes said today. Mr Hughes was responding to a New Zealand University Students Association survey of 5000 students, published today, showing nearly half of all fulltime students were in significant financial distress and 44 % reported not having enough to meet their needs. "Encouraging more young New Zealanders into higher levels...

The Green Party today announced its final social policy, before the election, aimed at ensuring that every child thrives from the day they are born. To complement the range of initiatives already announced, the Green Party will provide every newborn baby with a welcome package that includes some of the essentials needed by every baby from the day they are born. The key policy points of the package are: Provide every newborn child with a Wahakura Welcome Pack consisting of...

Prime Minister John Key must explain revelations this evening that the GCSB operates X-Keyscore in New Zealand and conducting mass surveillance on New Zealanders without their knowledge, said the Green Party.   “Yes or no John Key, is X-Keyscore spying on New Zealanders?” asked Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman. “Revelations from Edward Snowden that X-Keyscore is operating on the Southern Cross cable, collecting both metadata and content, and that he has seen that data, need to be explained.

John Key's claims he will declassify secret security documents in order to 'protect' himself and his reputation is deeply concerning, the Green Party said today. "It's reprehensible that John Key is politicising New Zealand's security and intelligence agencies and using them for his own partisan interests," said Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman. "John Key is doing whatever suits him for purely party political reasons, using New Zealand's security agencies for his own political gain. "Declassifying secret documents in order...

Power prices are set to rise further under National along with our carbon emissions, as outlined in its Energy and Resources policy announced this morning, the Green Party said today. National has announced a further $8 million of new subsidies for oil companies and no new initiatives to curb rising electricity prices, up 27 percent since 2008 despite residential demand falling by 2.6 percent. “National is taking New Zealand down a path of dirty energy and rising electricity prices. Three...

Three more years of National will see even more New Zealand kids growing up in severe poverty because John Key has announced no plans during the election campaign to reduce child poverty, says the Green Party. Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei is campaigning in Wellington today promoting the party’s $1 billion plan to reduce child poverty. “Just last week John Key said he's confident his government has done everything it can to reduce child poverty. In fact,  thirty five thousand...

John Key is trying to scare and confuse New Zealanders by saying mass surveillance by the GCSB is needed to achieve the country’s cyber protection, the Green Party said today. The Green Party in Government would look to remove the cyber protection functions from the GCSB and put them into a separate agency solely focused on that activity.   “Our cyber protection is undermined by being carried out by spies. What we need is a separate agency whose 100 percent focus...