The Government owes it to New Zealanders to admit we have a housing crisis and to prioritise getting more people into secure homes by making long lasting changes to the housing market, the Green Party said today. Yesterday’s announcement of $300 million funding for emergency housing over the next four years has come on the back of pressure from the sector and the Cross Party Inquiry into Homelessness which reported back last month. “There is no question that this money...

Animals will continue to be subjected to unnecessary pain and distress because the Government has refused to take serious action to address cruelty in rodeo, the Green Party said today. Almost 63,000 New Zealanders signed a petition asking for rodeo to be banned, but the Primary Production Select Committee, which is led by Government MPs and has just released its final report into the issue, has been largely unresponsive to those concerns. “Rodeo is both outdated and cruel – it’s...

Manurewa marae needed much better support from the Government in order to do its work helping homeless whanau, the Green Party said today. This Wednesday is the last day of Manurewa Marae’s Whakapiki Ora programme, which has helped 72 whānau and found permanent homes for 28. The marae is unable to continue their good work without support and funding from the Ministry of Social Development. “Their work at the marae has been challenging and really hard. What they have achieved...

Children in Auckland are falling ill with rheumatic fever as a direct result of the Government’s failure to address the housing crisis and child poverty, the Green Party said today. Figures released today show the number of children with rheumatic fever in the Auckland and Waitemata district health board areas has stayed at the same level, despite a Rheumatic Fever Prevention Programme running for five years now. “This is a stark reminder that the housing crisis isn’t going away, and...

A new survey of the early childhood education (ECE) sector shows centres struggling to make ends meet under a six-year Government funding freeze, the Green Party said today. The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa survey of ECE centres shows that 87 percent of respondents have experienced shortfalls since the Government first froze per-child funding six years ago. The Government has pushed for 98 percent of children to be participating in ECE before starting school as a Better...

The Green Party is calling on the Government to establish a national Parihaka Day.

Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei is delighted to today accept the Public Health Association’s Tū rangatira mō te Ora award 2016 for her work on addressing equity issues for Māori and reducing child poverty in New Zealand. Previous award winners have included Dame Tariana Turia, and National Rheumatic Fever Co-ordinator Helen Herbert. “I am pleased to accept this award, but there is still a lot of work ahead to end child poverty in Aotearoa,” Mrs Turei said. “No New Zealand...

Two special schools, and an unknown number of mainstream schools, are continuing to use seclusion rooms, despite the Education Minister’s recent moves to outlaw them, the Green Party said today. The Green Party has obtained answers to written Parliamentary questions which show that two special schools are continuing to use seclusion rooms. “For the welfare of the children at those schools, I am calling on Hekia Parata to immediately decommission all seclusion rooms,” Green Party education spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said...

The Paris Climate Agreement coming into force is a triumph for ordinary people around New Zealand and the world who have demanded politicians take action to stop climate change, the Green Party said today. The Paris Climate Agreement will come into force today after crossing the threshold of at least 55 countries, responsible for 55 percent of global emissions, joining the agreement. “Around the world there’s a real desire for action on climate change, and I think we’ve seen that shift here...

National’s gold-plated Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway will suck good money away from more valuable, worthwhile transport projects in Auckland and Northland for decades to come, the Green Party said today. Transport Minister Simon Bridges announced today that work will finally start on its so-called Road of National Significance from Pūhoi to Warkworth, 18 kilometres of motorway with a benefit cost ratio of just 1.1 to 1.2. “This motorway won't do anything to help Northland, it just sucks up funding for...