The Government’s Auckland housing plans lack substance and are years behind where they should be, the Green Party said today. Bill English has said he has no information about how much land he plans to sell off as part of planned redevelopments, and can’t say how many new houses will be sold at affordable prices, in answers to written parliamentary questions from the Green Party. “The Minister responsible for Housing NZ has no idea how much land he’s going to...

The Government must give the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) more inspectors, resources and independence so it can do its job, the Green Party said today after tonight’s release of new footage of the mistreatment of bobby calves. Farmwatch has just released footage on Checkpoint of bobby calves being dragged by their limbs and thrown into the back of trucks in Taranaki and Waikato. This follows last year’s release of shocking footage that resulted in the conviction of a meat worker...

A sudden drop in the number of workplace interventions by the Labour Inspectorate suggests that the Government isn’t doing enough to support the basic rights of people at work, the Green Party said today. Interventions to ensure compliance with minimum workplace relations standards fell 25 percent from 2,500 last year to just 1,851 this year, according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s annual report. This year’s unmet target was 2,500-3,000 interventions. “Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse...

Time is running out for the Government to decide whether people will get a say on Nova Energy’s proposal to build a large gas-fired power plant in south Waikato with significant impacts on the environment and climate change, the Green Party said today. “The Government should ‘call in’ Nova’s application to build a new gas-fired power plant as a matter of national significance so everyone gets to have a say, because it will affect New Zealand’s commitments under the Paris...

The Health Minister needs to urgently undertake a nationwide inquiry into mental health services, after new figures have revealed that young people are facing unreasonably long waiting times to receive follow-up appointments after seeking help, the Green Party said today. Up to 3297 young people around New Zealand had to wait longer than eight weeks to have a second face-to-face appointment with a medical professional in the last year after seeking help. The figures show wide variation between different District...

The National Government's infrastructure plan, released today, completely ignores the reality of climate change, the Green Party said. "I am disappointed at the backwards direction National is taking New Zealand. There is a complete absence of investment into a low-carbon economy in this plan," said Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter. "We have just ratified the Paris Agreement, which says we will reduce carbon pollution. How can Kiwi families and businesses do that if we don't build modern, clean...

A huge leap in Special Needs Grants show that more and more New Zealanders cannot afford the basics of life, the Green Party said today. Figures released from the Ministry of Social Development late yesterday show that in the last year there has been a 46.4 percent increase in Special Needs Grants payments, which people apply for to pay for things including emergency housing and food. The total amount of hardship assistance provided by the Government has increased 27.4 percent...

Education Minister Hekia Parata needs to come clean with Kiwi parents about exactly how many state schools are using seclusion rooms, if any, and how long she’s known about them, the Green Party said today While responding to Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty during Question Time today, the Minister admitted that eight special schools are currently using seclusion rooms, and that the Ministry is currently surveying all state schools to see how many are also currently using them. “Hekia Parata...

The Government’s soft plastics recycling scheme, announced today, won’t address the problem of plastic pollution in our oceans as effectively as a charge on single-use plastic bags, the Green Party said. “This is a token measure from a government that’s more interested in ‘green wash’ than saving our oceans and marine life,” said Green Party waste spokesperson Denise Roche. “We launched a Member’s Bill this week to introduce a charge on single-use plastic bags in order to reduce pollution and...

National needs to be straight-up with farmers and make it clear that business-as-usual farming can’t continue if we are to maintain a safe climate for this and future generations, the Green Party said today. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) released a new report today on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions showing that no scientific silver bullet to eliminate agricultural emissions is on the horizon, and that large-scale tree planting and land-use change is needed. “National isn't doing farmers any...