The Green Party will not support new spy legislation proposed by the Government yesterday. The New Zealand Intelligence and Security Bill will bring spy legislation under one single Act, breaching the traditional demarcation between the Government Security Communications Bureau (GCSB) and the Security Intelligence Service (SIS).  It will expand the powers of the GCSB, allowing it to spy on New Zealanders. “The Bill declares its purpose to be the protection of New Zealand as a free, open and democratic society;...

The Green Party is calling on the Government to ban the toxic ingredient POEA, after answers to written questions to the Minister for the Environment revealed it is an undisclosed ingredient in almost 90 products sold in New Zealand. The European Union (EU) Commission has recommended that EU member states ban the use of Polyoxyethylene tallow amine (POEA), a common ingredient in herbicides like Roundup, which researchers expect could cause cell damage and death, and may cause pregnancy problems including...

The Green Party is calling on the National Government to trade good carbon credits for bad ones, to ensure the integrity of our global commitment to cut climate pollution. A Morgan Foundation report released yesterday highlighted the New Zealand businesses that made heaviest use of fraudulent emission reduction units purchased from Russia and the Ukraine to offset their climate pollution. “The Government needs to clean up its act on the climate and trade real carbon credits for past fraudulent ones,”...

The National Government has no more excuses for the Auckland housing crisis now that Auckland Council has passed the Unitary Plan, the Green Party said today. “This is a big step towards building a better, more affordable Auckland, and now the ball is in the Government’s court,” Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter said. “National needs to make the Unitary Plan work properly by building affordable homes, cracking down on property speculators, fixing the Building Code, and investing in public...

The Government’s inaction on the housing crisis is hurting our kids’ health, the Green Party said today. A report out yesterday showed an increase of 36 percent of rheumatic fever cases in Auckland which is being blamed on the housing crisis, with overcrowding and substandard homes too common.   “It’s well beyond time for urgent action from this Government to make sure no kid is living in conditions that are making them sick and risking their lives,” said Green Party...

The Green Party is calling on the National Government to support its levy on international visitors, to help fund conservation and local tourism infrastructure. “John Key and the National Government are most welcome to take our idea and run with it," said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “The concept of a Taonga Levy has already proved pretty popular, receiving support from groups like the Environmental Defence Society, the Tourism Export Council, and Forest and Bird. “National has adopted several Green...

People’s homes are one step closer to being free of a potentially harmful chemical with the reassessment of triclosan, the Green Party said today. Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that, following an application from the Green Party, triclosan can be put forward for reassessment of how it is used. Triclosan is found in hundreds of household products, including soap and toothpaste. “This is a great win and the first step in getting this nasty ingredient out of people’s...

New research looking into senior doctors’ and dentists’ work-related burnout raises significant concerns about the state of our health system, the Green Party said today. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists’ report released today reveals that half of senior doctors have symptoms of burnout, with working more than 14 consecutive hours being significantly associated with higher work-related burnout. “Our senior doctors are propping up our health system at the expense of their own wellbeing,” Green Party health spokesperson Kevin Hague...

New figures obtained by the Green Party show that the amount of debt owed by beneficiaries to the Government is skyrocketing. Before National was elected in 2008, just 49 per cent of beneficiaries owed money to WINZ, at an average of $2,021 per person. Now 60 per cent of beneficiaries have an average debt of $2,584. “We clearly have a broken system when New Zealanders who are already in dire financial circumstances are racking up debt to a Government with...

The Taonga Levy will be a $14 to $18 increase on existing border charges for international visitors only. People who live in New Zealand will not have to pay the Taonga Levy. The revenue will be split 70:30 between Predator Free New Zealand and the Regional Tourism Facilities Fund. “The Taonga Levy will bring in tens of millions of dollars every year to help make New Zealand's dream of being predator-free a reality, and help tourism hotspots cope with rising...