Democracy & Electoral Reform

services and systems

Private emails with lobbyists in Luxon's Ministerial offices are potentially a systemic problem

The Ombudsman has confirmed the Prime Minister's Office unreasonably withheld secret briefings, and the Green Party has obtained a new OIA showing the same private email problem in other Ministers' offices, suggesting a potentially systemic problem across Government.“New Zealanders have the right to know who is influencing political decision making, and how,” says Green Party Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.   “Regular people do not get to exchange secret emails with the Prime Minister's top officials, getting the law ultimately changed in their favour....

Posted at July 01, 2026 1:55 PM by Chlöe Swarbrick

Calls for Ombudsman to open wider investigation into private back-channel emails in Luxon's office

The Green Party is calling for a fulsome investigation into the use of private email in the Prime Minister's Office, after an answer to a written parliamentary question exhaustively listed staff private email – except for the Fonterra and Z Energy climate lobbying document sent to Luxon's former staffer.“Something fishy is going on in the Prime Ministers’ office when lobbyist documents that miraculously end up as Government law change after being handled by his Chief Policy Advisor manage to somehow disappear from the public record,” says Green Party Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.  “We know this was at least partially possible...

Posted at June 09, 2026 3:51 PM by Chlöe Swarbrick

services and systems

Open letter to Hon Judith Collins

It is with sadness that we write this open letter to respond to the blatantly partisan screed you wrote yesterday. We find it necessary to do so to correct the record and defend the hardworking teachers, nurses and doctors who are striking for fair pay and safe conditions for staff and the public they serve against your attempts to smear them.  But before we get to that - we would like to invite you to spend just one week walking...

Posted at October 20, 2025 11:11 AM by Francisco Hernandez

te tiriti o waitangi

Greens call for extension on Māori wards referendum

The Green Party is calling for the voting period for Māori wards to be extended after key information was left out of voting packs. “Key information about Māori wards missing from election packs could influence the course of the referendum. This is not good enough,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Democracy and Electoral Reform, Celia Wade Brown.  “We are calling for the voting period to be extended so people can make their decision with all the information they should have...

Posted at September 12, 2025 2:14 PM by Celia Wade Brown

democracy and international relations

Greens launch petition against Govt’s attack on democracy

The Green Party has launched a petition calling on the Government to keep its hands off voting rights. “We cannot allow this Government to rob New Zealanders of their democratic rights,” says the Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. “Make no mistake, the Government is making calculated changes to electoral law that erode the democratic rights of regular people and play into the hands of a wealthy few.  “By blocking voters and also opening the floodgates for anonymous donations from the rich,...

Posted at July 30, 2025 2:22 PM by Marama Davidson

democracy and international relations

Greens call for NZ Govt to take UK’s lead and lower voting age

The Green Party is calling on the Government to follow the lead of the United Kingdom and lower the voting age to 16.  “We are calling on the New Zealand Government to follow in the footsteps of the United Kingdom and lower the voting age to 16,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Democracy and Electoral Reform, Celia Wade Brown.  “Young people deserve to have a say in the decisions that affect their future. The choices we make today will determine...

Posted at July 18, 2025 11:05 AM by Celia Wade Brown

democracy and international relations

Greens call on Government to keep same-day election enrolment and voting

On Radio New Zealand this morning, the Justice Minister stated the Government was considering ending election day enrolments.“The Government’s flirting with ending election day enrolments hints at a frightening degree of disdain for democracy and people’s right to have their say. It smacks of the politics of Trump’s America,” says Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.  “Accessible elections are critical to a functional, inclusive democracy. Any imposed barrier is rightfully open to serious criticism of voter suppression. We’ve seen similar measures...

Posted at May 08, 2024 11:47 AM by Chlöe Swarbrick