The Green Party is calling on the National Government to use Conservation Week to restore funding to the Department of Conservation (DOC) after seven years of cuts, the Green Party said today. The Green Party challenged the Conservation Minister in the House today to accept that, when adjusted for inflation, Vote Conservation had been cut by $424 million over the last eight years. “DOC has received, on average, $53 million less per year under National than it did in the...

Deducting $22-28 a week from the benefits of single mothers who, sometimes for their own safety, don’t name the father of their child is unfairly hurting families, the Green Party said today. The Green Party is supporting calls for Section 70A of the Social Security Act, which allows for the deduction, to be repealed by the Government. “The Government should do right by these families, and get rid of this bad law forever,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei. “$28...

National needs to commit to the full electrification of the Main Trunk Line between Auckland and Wellington so KiwiRail can upgrade to new clean-energy electric trains, the Green Party said today. KiwiRail is expected to reveal on Monday whether it will replace its existing fleet of electric locomotives with new electric ones, or revert back to diesel locomotives. “It would be ridiculous to revert back to dirty diesel trains, particularly given National’s promise to move away from climate-polluting fossil fuels...

The National Government’s underfunding of the Department of Conservation (DOC) could be responsible for another endangered species – the DOC ranger. “According to numbers supplied to MPs, in June 2015 there were 814 full-time DOC rangers, while in May 2016, there were 625. At this rate of decline, by Christmas 2019, DOC rangers will be extinct,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “One hundred and forty-two species have slid closer to extinction under National’s watch; DOC rangers could be next....

It is heartening that the Government is finally starting to address the failure of our justice system to provide protection for victims of family violence or support abusers to change,  the Green Party said today. “Family violence is currently embedded in New Zealand culture and we all need to be brave to face the level of changes needed to address it,” Green Party women’s spokesperson Jan Logie said. “Too many families have been further traumatised and indebted trying to get...

The Green Party today welcomed the Government's campaign to raise the profile of electric vehicles (EVs), but warned that the absence of any plan to make them affordable means EVs will be out of reach for most New Zealanders. The comments follow the release of Treasury advice which said that the Government's only electric vehicle incentive (an exemption from Road User Charges until 2021) would be an ineffective subsidy and cost the country $40 million. Treasury also described the Government’s...

Minister for Building and Housing Nick Smith should listen to mana whenua and the community and revoke the Special Housing Area (SHA) designated on the Ihumātao land in Māngere, which is of rich cultural and historical significance, the Green Party said today.

The National Government is wasting an opportunity to ensure New Zealanders don’t get sick from their drinking water, by ignoring the state of our freshwater and land use in the Havelock North outbreak Inquiry, the Green Party said today. “Today’s announcement that the Inquiry will include top health and engineering experts is a good start, but ignores the impact of land use on water quality,” said Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty. “The inquiry should have two parts; one to...

The Government should heed calls from child rights advocates and raise the age of youth justice to include 17 year olds, the Green Party said today. 34 community, academic and justice organisations today released a joint letter urging the Government to include 17 year olds in the youth justice system, days before New Zealand will appear before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva. “The evidence is clear: allowing 17 year olds to be tried in youth...

Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett is letting families suffer while she quibbles about the amount of subsidy community housing providers should stump up to build homes for them, the Green Party said today. The Government has said it will pay 50 percent to community housing providers to build homes for our most vulnerable families, leaving those providers to find the remaining 50 percent. Unfortunately, many providers such as the Salvation Army aren’t in a position to come up with that...