John Key needs to show leadership and commit to resettling people from Pacific nations that are at serious risk of being displaced by climate change, the Green Party said today.

The National Government needs to now take responsibility and set some bottom lines around investment in cluster bombs, landmines, and nuclear weapons, the Green Party said today. The Police have today decided not to prosecute fund managers who have made investments in cluster bomb manufacturers, saying such investments do not breach the Cluster Munitions Prohibition Act. The legality of those investments now remains up in the air. “New Zealanders haven’t changed their opinion on the ethics of cluster bombs so...

Poverty is stagnating in New Zealand, and the National Government has no plan to help the kids from low income families who are falling further behind. ‘The material wellbeing of NZ households report’ by Bryan Perry, the most comprehensive look at poverty in this country, was released today and shows that child poverty is becoming normal in this country, and on some measures is back to levels not seen since the GFC. “The lot of New Zealand children has not...

Green MP Catherine Delahunty has presented a petition with almost 5000 signatures calling on Government to support her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill, which is due to be debated in Parliament next week.

The Green Party is calling on the Government to back a motion at the World Conservation Congress to preserve 30 percent of oceans as marine reserves. Prime Minister, John Key has said it was “very unlikely” that New Zealand would support a motion to make 30 percent of national waters Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by 2030. Member states are voting on the motion at the World Conservation Congress being held in Hawaii this week. "By not supporting this motion, John...

The National Government rushed to change the law governing Special Housing Areas (SHAs) in just six weeks, the Green Party said today. Responding to an Official Information Act request, Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith said that on 28 June 2016 he had received no information or advice to date about the expiry of the Auckland Housing Accord, extending the Accord, or new initiatives to replace the Accord. SHAs in Auckland have been created through the Auckland Housing Accord. Smith...

The Green Party will oppose Housing Minister Nick Smith’s latest hurried and inadequate attempt to fix the housing crisis, which is being pushed through Parliament under urgency today. “This Bill is a band-aid for a broken housing market and won’t do anything to fix the underlying problem that the market is not building enough affordable houses,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. “The Government always knew the Special Housing Areas (SHAs) were going to expire, so there’s no good reason...

The National Government needs to provide much more dedicated aid to help Pacific countries adapt to climate change, rather than simply rebranding its economic development assistance, the Green Party said today.

Auckland’s average house price hit one million dollars today, as National tried to put a band-aid on the housing crisis with rushed new legislation to stop Special Housing Areas falling apart, the Green Party said. “Aucklanders wanting to buy their first home now have one million reasons to change the Government,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. “National has shown time and time again that they’re focussed on helping their property speculator mates, not helping first home buyers. “John Key’s...

Indian students facing deportation from New Zealand are victims of fraud, and the Government should allow them to stay, the Green Party said today. The Government has issued nine students with deportation orders after discovering that their India-based education agents used fake documents to secure their study visas in New Zealand, and hundreds more students face a similar situation. “Punishing students whose families have invested tens of thousands of dollars in their education is completely unfair,” said Green Party immigration...