The review of the Search and Surveillance Act should be focused on strengthening Kiwis’ rights, not extending dodgy surveillance powers, the Green Party said today. This afternoon National announced the terms for the mandatory review of the Search and Surveillance Act by the Ministry of Justice and the Law Commission, which will report back to the Government on whether the law is fit for purpose. The Act gave Police and a laundry list of other agencies power to covertly record...

New data showing that the top 10 percent of New Zealand households own half our country’s wealth, while the bottom 40 percent of households own just 3 percent of the wealth, helps explain why so many people are living in cars and being forced to choose between putting food on their table or seeing a doctor when they’re sick, the Green Party said today. The data is from Statistics NZ’s Household Net Worth survey. “When wealth inequality is this stark,...

Parliament must listen to the thousands of people who have signed a Council of Trade Unions (CTU) petition calling for Easter Sunday to remain one of the few days people are guaranteed leave to spend time with their families, the Green Party said today. Green Party workplace relations spokesperson Denise Roche will table a CTU petition calling for the National Government’s support partners to protect the time New Zealanders get off work, when the Shop Trading Hours Amendment Bill is...

The Shewan inquiry has found that foreign trusts are open to being abused and has recommended new disclosure requirements in line with what the Green Party has been pushing for since 2012, the Green Party said today. The Government Inquiry into Foreign Trust Disclosure Rules found today that existing foreign trust disclosure rules are inadequate and has recommended a significant increase in the information required for disclosure at set-up and on a yearly basis. “The Shewan inquiry into foreign trusts...

The National Government is still the property speculator’s best friend, Green Party said today. Mortgage lending data released today by the Reserve Bank shows that residential property investors are borrowing more than three times as much as first home buyers. “Under the National Government, it’s clearly still much easier to buy a third, fourth, or fifth investment house, rather than your first home to live in,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said. “People just trying to get their own home...

The National Government’s decision to scrap two planned rail lines in Auckland shows it is giving up on a city-wide rail network in Auckland, and on thousands of commuters who sit in traffic jams every single day, the Green Party said today. 

Increases in class sizes look to be on the cards, after Education Minister Hekia Parata can't guarantee her proposed education funding model will result in no increase in class sizes, the Green Party said. "It doesn't seem to trouble the Minister if her proposal results in bigger classes, but she is ignoring that New Zealand parents see class sizes as vital for their child's education," Green Party education spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said today. Appearing on The Nation this morning Education...

The Green Party is applauding Christchurch City Council’s decision to restrict the use of glyphosate-based weed killers in spaces open to the public, and is calling on other councils around New Zealand to follow suit. Christchurch councillors voted yesterday to restrict the use of glyphosate – a probable carcinogen – in areas accessible to the public. The decision aligns with an ongoing campaign by the Green Party to limit the use of glyphosate in public streets and parks. “We’re pleased...

The Ombudsman’s report into Paula Rebstock’s inquiry shows that the Government spent taxpayer money on a politically motivated attacks to distract attention from drastic public sector cuts, the Green Party said today.

The Government needs to urgently reconsider its position to not provide funding for breakfasts and lunches for children who go to school hungry, the Green Party said today. The call comes after an Upper Hutt community group revealed it is struggling to get businesses to support a local school lunch programme, and after a report from the Christian Council of Social Services which showed some parents can’t afford to pay for food as well as pay their rent. “Thousands of...