All our news articles
The latest Safety of Children in Care report shows the current processes of the state are not keeping tamariki safe, says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson.
“This affirms what people have been saying for a long time, that the state is not a suitable caregiver for tamariki. The current processes for keeping children are simply not working and are causing harm.
“The statistics for tamariki Māori in particular are appalling.
As part of the plan to turn around New Zealand’s mounting waste problem, the Government is investing in research to reduce the impact of plastics, improve knowledge about composting, and reduce product labelling waste, the Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced in Rotorua today.
“We know New Zealanders want to see less single use plastic waste and less environmental harm from plastics. Compostable packaging materials are one option when there is no reusable alternative and critically, when the materials are actually compostable,” says Eugenie Sage.
Tauranga City Council and the Ministry for the Environment stepped in at short notice to support kerbside glass collection in Tauranga after private kerbside glass collection services were withdrawn in March 2018.
“The reintroduction of this service and its operation since October 2018 has been a great success. It is on track to help divert from landfill 6,000 tonnes of glass waste generated in Tauranga each year,” Associate Minister for the Environment, Eugenie Sage said today.
The 2019 Youth Parliament has declared a climate emergency via a motion in the Parliament.
The motion was put forward by Chlöe Swarbrick’s youth MP Luke Wijohn, after concerted work from all Youth MPs in the Green Party caucus.
Green spokesperson for Youth Chlöe Swarbrick said:
“Our rangatahi are doing what some adults in this Parliament refuse to do – they’re recognising the need for urgent and immediate climate action.
“It should be called what it is, an emergency.
New Zealand’s rarest mainland forest bird, the kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet, is having its best breeding season in decades due to a beech seed bonanza, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage said in Christchurch today.
“It is great news that this year there are more than three times the number of nests compared to previous years,” she said.
“This year’s epic breeding provides a much-needed boost to the kākāriki karaka population.
“There are at least 150 wild-born chicks so far this season, which is a potential doubling of the current population.”
The Government has renewed the accreditation of a product stewardship scheme which has been preventing environmental harm by reducing the potential for illegal or unsafe discharges of used oil.
Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage today announced a significant investment in a new plant to create New Zealand’s first 100% recycled plastic food packaging range as part of the wider plan to tackle the plastic pollution challenge.
A $3 million grant from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund is being made to Pact Group (NZ) Ltd. The grant will enable the company to create a range of 100% recycled food packaging across ten common product lines such as: meat and bakery trays, and, deli, food and produce containers at its Auckland plant.
The Government’s plan to integrate te reo Māori into education is showing promising progress, said Green Party Māori Development spokesperson Marama Davidson.
“We owe everything to tangata whenua movements for bringing te reo Māori back from the brink to where it is today. It’s long overdue that the government has stepped up on its obligations to our language.
“Te reo and kaupapa Māori education is a major priority for the Greens and upskilling our teachers is a vital first step toward this.
The epic 12,000km journey made by some of New Zealand’s favourite migratory birds from the Coromandel to the Arctic is set to become safer.
Last week UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee agreed that parts of China’s Yellow Sea and the sanctuaries it provides for migratory birds will become a World Heritage site.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage welcomed the announcement at the Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre today.
Southland’s 61 km Hump Ridge Track is set to be New Zealand’s next Great Walk the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today in Tuatapere, Southland.
“This will be a fantastic addition to New Zealand’s Great Walks network. The Track provides access to a spectacular southern coastline and forests, dramatic alpine tops and historic viaducts. Hump Ridge offers the walker remote and unforgettable beauty and history,” says Eugenie Sage