News

  • Pay decision great, but more needed for home care workers

    The decision to pay home care workers for the time they spend travelling to clients is a great first step that should be followed by pay equity and a significant rise in their base pay, the Green Party said today. Unions representing care workers reached an agreement today with the Government and home support providers that will see workers paid for the hours they spend travelling between clients. "This decision was long overdue. The Human Rights Commission concluded more than...
  • Greens to build three times more cycleways than National

    "The Green Party will build three times the length of safe, separated cycleways than National over the next three years," said Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman today. Dr Russel Norman joined Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown to cycle the route of one of the new, planned cycleways connecting Island Bay to Wellington's city centre. "We've been waiting too long for National to build safe, separated cycleways to ensure New Zealanders can cycle safely around our towns and cities," Dr Norman...
  • Go ahead for charters schools wrong

    The Green Party is warning all four organisations named as new partnership schools by Education Minister Hekia Parata today that they will have no future under a new Government. Ms Parata's decision to name the four organisations breaks with a long held convention for the Government of the day to refrain from making significant political decisions in the days before an election. "This decision should not have been made just days before an election, which could ultimately lead to charter...
  • Greens recommit to cross-party work to eliminate child poverty

    The Green Party today recommitted to working with all other political parties on a cross-parliament plan to eliminate child poverty in New Zealand. The Child Poverty Action Group today launched its major policy paper of the election Our Children, our Choice: Priorities for Policy,  which calls for cross party political agreement on an action plan to on child poverty. “The Green Party is the only major party committed to ending child poverty,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. “We have...
  • Public option for KiwiSaver will keep fees low

    A public option for KiwiSaver will reduce fees, saving KiwiSavers tens of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of their investment, the Green Party said today. KiwiSaver research company Canstar released a report today showing KiwiSaver fees are rising faster than inflation. Canstar says a few dollars in fee savings can add up to a substantial difference over the life of an investment, and your retirement savings. "The Green Party is going to add value to people's KiwiSaver scheme by...
  • National’s fiscals reveal big cuts to health and education

    National’s own fiscals confirm it plans big cuts to health and education, the Green Party said today. “National’s fiscals confirm the Green Party’s and BERL’s independent analysis that there will be sizeable cuts to health and education services,” Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman said today. “National will be cutting the education and health budgets by $1.5 billion which is around the size it plans to allocate for tax cuts, if they ever come. “With less than two weeks to go...
  • Greens to make major $115 million a year funding boost to inclusive education

    The Green Party today announced a major $115 million a year package of support for special education services in schools, including a doubling of the number of children who can access the highest levels of support and more help for pre-school children. The package is the latest spoke in the Green Party’s school hubs plan which delivers the health and social support kids need onsite at school, and is a key component of the Green Party’s election plan to stop...
  • National's fiscals in disarray

    Two weeks out from the election, the National Party is in disarray over their fiscals and can't explain what their tax policy is, says the Green Party. "National's economic plan for the election is a mess. John Key and Bill English can't even say what level of tax cuts they will offer in three years' time or who will even get them," said Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman. "National are hypocritical. They attacked the clearly set out and detailed...