The National Government’s research and development (R&D) strategy has failed, with a lower proportion of businesses now engaging in R&D than when they took office, the Green Party said today. The Statistics NZ Business Operations Survey released today shows that in 2009, eight percent of businesses engaged in R&D. In 2016, that number had fallen to seven percent. Labour productivity data also out today tells a similar story, with labour productivity growth at its lowest levels, over the growth cycle,...

National must put politics aside and open an independent investigation into allegations around the conduct of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) in Afghanistan, the Green Party said today. Nicky Hager and John Stephenson’s book ‘Hit and Run’, released last night, details the alleged killing of civilians in Afghanistan following a joint US-NZ raid, allegedly in retaliation for the death of a New Zealand solider. “These allegations are very serious and New Zealanders deserve full and frank answers about what...

The Green Party has today launched a petition calling on the Government to put a fair price on the commercial use of water, including for bottling water and irrigation. On Monday, Prime Minister Bill English chose to defer a decision on whether to price freshwater until after the election. Yesterday the OECD recommended New Zealand price water to improve water use efficiency and ensure the public gained from the sale of this collective resource. “New Zealand’s freshwater rules are unfair....

The Government faces a bill of up to $855 million over the next 25 years as New Zealand’s aging oil rigs come to the end of their life, the Green Party revealed today. The Crown is liable for tax and royalty rebates equal to 42-48 percent of the total decommissioning cost for each of the five oil rigs in New Zealand waters, according to documents released to the Green Party under the Official Information Act. Energy and Resources Minister Judith...

The Green Party in government will prioritise reducing climate pollution to net zero in New Zealand by 2050. The commitment follows the release of a cross-party report outlining how New Zealand could eliminate climate pollution this century. The ‘Net Zero in New Zealand’ report, commissioned by a cross-party group of MPs, shows a fundamental shift is needed in the way we farm and the way we power our transport system and heavy industries, if New Zealand is to compete in...

Today’s OECD environmental report has highlighted the urgent need for New Zealand to change direction and move to a low carbon, green economy, the Green Party said today. The OECD has said that New Zealand has the second-highest level of emissions per unit of GDP in the developed world. We also have the fifth-highest emissions per capita. “The New Zealand economy is highly carbon intensive and this can’t be sustained if we want to also play our part in addressing...

Plans to sell the Tāmaki Housing Association, possibly to overseas buyers, create uncertainty for thousands of Auckland families who have already had their lives and homes shaken up by the Government’s social housing fiasco, the Green Party said today. “We have a housing crisis and the number one priority should be increasing the supply of affordable, state, and community housing, not selling off social housing services,” said Green Party social housing spokesperson Marama Davidson. “People living in Tāmaki and Glen...

The Green Party says the Productivity Commission’s tertiary education recommendations would be a radical ideological experiment with a whole generation of students. The Commission’s report, released today, proposes bringing back interest on student loans and more deregulation of tertiary education. “We simply don’t think the future is that bad for tertiary education," said Green Party tertiary spokesperson Gareth Hughes. “Despite the lowest per-student funding in the OECD, all our universities are highly ranked internationally and have high quality teaching and...

  A proposal to take West Coast water and export it in bulk tankers with no public notification shows our environmental laws aren’t strong enough and proposed Government changes will only make that worse, the Green Party said today. “New Zealanders care passionately about water, and want to be able to have their say on water grabs happening around our country before it is too late,” Green Party environment spokesperson Eugenie Sage said. Okuru Enterprises Ltd wants to take glacial...

Protecting our finite and precious water resources should be the motivation for putting a charge on water, to ensure it is prudently and sustainably used, the Green Party said today. “The reason we need a charge on the commercial use of water is to protect water, ensure the community and tangata whenua get a return from private use of a public resource, and help fund better land and water management,” said Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty. National’s proposals to...