Educational achievement will not improve until the Government prioritises feeding, housing and looking after our children properly, the Green Party has said today. Research reported today has uncovered a consistent achievement gap of an average of two years schooling between children in lower and higher decile primary schools. “The reason for the gap in achievement between low and high decile schools is the inequality that this National Government has fostered in New Zealand,” Green Party Education spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said...

The Government’s backdown on forcing Housing New Zealand (HNZ) to pay a multimillion-dollar dividend shows that the Government can take measures to help end the housing crisis if it really wants to, the Green Party said today. “Reinvesting HNZ dividends to build more houses just makes sense and I’m pleased the Government is finally showing some flexibility on this,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “It was perverse that National was forcing HNZ to pay a dividend back to the...

Ashburton District Council’s decision to drop the sale of public land including the right to bottle and sell billions of litres of water is a win for the Ashburton community, the Green Party said today. “Canterbury’s water has been polluted and drained by the rapid expansion of the dairy industry in the region, making bore water undrinkable in some areas and most rivers unsafe for swimming. So it beggars belief that the council would even consider selling a plot of...

The Government must support the use of wahakura and pepi-pods to reduce the rate of Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI), particularly for Māori babies who are eight times more likely to die in infancy, the Green Party said today. The NZ Herald reported today that the Government has ignored advice from coroners that wahakura and pepi-pods could reduce the number of children dying from SUDI, and refused to fund their use. Wahakura are woven baskets that give baby a...

Comments by the Reserve Bank today that the Government should consider ‘further reducing the tax advantage of investing in residential housing’ highlight that the Government could be doing much more to fix the housing crisis, the Green Party said. “John Key said earlier this week the Reserve Bank should ‘get on’ with fixing the housing crisis, but the Bank has put the spotlight back on the National Government’s inaction,” Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “When the Reserve...

The Green Party and Labour will launch an inquiry into the growing homelessness crisis after the Government rejected calls from MPs on the Social Services Select Committee to investigate the issue. “The Government could’ve agreed to take the homelessness crisis seriously by supporting a cross-parliamentary inquiry, but unfortunately they’ve instead chosen to keep ignoring the issue,” said Green Party Social Housing spokesperson Marama Davidson.  “You only have to walk along Courtenay Place and Queen Street to see that homelessness is growing...

John Key’s call for tougher lending controls for property speculators again demonstrates a Government in crisis mode over the hugely damaging housing price bubble, the Green Party said today. Prime Minister John Key yesterday signaled to the Reserve Bank that it should quickly extend existing loan-to-value ratio restrictions to investors to help slow house price rises. The latest monthly QV House Price Index shows values nationwide are now rising at the fastest rate since 2004, with the average house value...

A new Consumer NZ survey showing almost 40 percent of households have had to cut back on heating their homes because of the cost of power shows that power prices are too high under National, the Green Party said. The Electricity Authority has suggested changes to the rules about how electricity lines charges are set, which are likely to result in even higher power bills for many households. “When two out of every five households are forced to go cold...

John Key’s trade mission to Indonesia needs to address the ongoing crackdown on human rights in West Papua, the Green Party said today. 

Out of control house price rises in Auckland and around the country further highlight how the National Government’s tinkering is failing to address the housing crisis, the Green Party said today. The latest QV House Price Index released today shows that Auckland house prices have continued to rise strongly, with Auckland's average house value now $975,087. The Auckland market has increased 16.1 percent year-on-year and 4.7 percent over the past three months. Values there are now 78 percent higher than...