Poor New Zealanders forced to keep their heater turned off

Low-income New Zealanders are struggling to keep warm this winter, the Green Party said today.

A new report by Statistics New Zealand revealed that around one in three New Zealand households are experiencing some form of energy hardship.

“It’s disgraceful that almost one in three New Zealand households are having to keep the heater turned off because they can’t afford to pay the electricity bill,” said Green Party social housing spokesperson Marama Davidson.

“20 Kiwi kids are dying every year from cold, damp housing, and there are more than 40,000 hospital admissions for children a year from conditions related to poor housing – that’s a national disgrace.

“Poorer families shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on their table or keeping their house warm.

“In the long-term, the Green Party will permanently lower the cost of heating through insulation subsidies, and a mandatory rental warrant of fitness,” said Ms Davidson.

Action

DSS Funding Consultation 2025

Tell the Government how Disability Support Services (DSS) could meet our community's needs better, and to hold them to account on taking our voices...

Action

Build Arlington Housing

Sign Tamatha Paul's open letter to Chris Bishop

Action

Allow Pacific visitors visa-free access

Sign our petition for waiver-free visa access for 'aiga from the Pacific Islands

Action

Save school lunches

Sign our petition to restore proper funding for school lunches.

Action

Right to Repair

Email Minister Simpson encouraging him to support the Right to Repair Bill

Action

Ditch the bootcamps - Sign the petition

Sign the petition to ditch the bootcamps!

Action

Anti Stalking Law Submission Guide

Keep whānau safe - make a submission on the Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment Bill today.

Action

Submit on the Gene Technology Bill

Action

Conservation Access Sub Guide

Submit today to keep our conservation lands for all

Action

Gender-Affirming Care is a Human Right

Submit on the Ministry of Health's consultation on Gender-Affirming care.

Action

Hauraki open letter

Sign our open letter to protect the Hauraki Gulf Marine Reserves

Action

Ditch the Bootcamps - Make a submission

Make a submission on the Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Amendment Bill. Help us call for an end to the Bootcamps.

Action

Treaty Principles Submission Guide

Make a unique submission on the Treaty Principles Bill.

Action

How to get involved - Treaty Principles

Information on how to make a submission, volunteer or run your own event.

Action

Submit for Climate Action

Submit today to ask the Government to commit to strong Climate Change targets.

Action

Build Dunedin Hospital

Take our poll on how the Government should spend its money, and email Christopher Luxon telling him your thoughts.

Action

Oil & Gas Quick Submissions 2024

Sign the quick submission to save the oil & gas ban!

Action

Stop Fast-track Destruction

Join our call to stop the Fast-track Approvals Bill.

Action

Protect te reo Māori

Sign our petition asking Minister Erica Stanford to keep prioritising the teaching of te reo Māori.

Action

Cut the Coal Petition | Join the movement

Fight back: Tell the government that coal mining is not our future.

Action

Protect Our Freshwater

Join our Green MPs in calling for the government to protect freshwater. Proposed changes to the Resource Management Act threaten New Zealand's...

Volunteer

The Greens are proud to be driven by passionate people like you. Today we need your help to take action on the biggest issues facing Aotearoa. Volu...

Action

Expand Voting

Now more than ever, young people in Aotearoa are impacted by Government decisions, and they deserve to have a say. We are calling on all Members of...

Action

End Intensive Winter Grazing

Sign the petition to Labour Ministers, to move faster in bringing regulations into force and end intensive winter grazing.

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Housing Announcements

Story

Government plan fails on growing public housing stock

The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more aff...

Open season on renters begins with no-cause evictions

The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters...

Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas

Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice o...

CPI figures show rents continuing to soar

Stats NZ has confirmed that higher rent prices were the biggest contributor to the annual inflation rate. Almost a fifth of the 2.2 per cent annual...

Landlord govt finds new way to undermine public housing

Proposed cuts to Kāinga Ora reflect a failure to fully commit to fixing the housing crisis.

Rising rents continue to inflict hardship on households

Statistics released today show that rents have increased at 4.3 per cent compared to the same period last year. This comes after last month’s 4.8 p...

Story

Greens call for end to subsidies for Methanex

The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report high...

Fossil fuel lobbyist appointment to EECA board called out

The Green Party condemns the Government’s appointment of a fossil fuel lobbyist to the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority Board.

Greens echo OECD call for electricity market reform

The Green Party has welcomed the OECD urging the Government to re-examine separating ‘gentailers’ to make a fairer electricity market for New Zeala...

Job losses from mill closures consequence of Govt inaction

Hundreds of jobs lost as a result of pulp mill closures in the Ruapehu District are a consequence of government inaction in addressing the shortfal...

Fossil fuels never the answer in climate crisis

The Government’s moves to enable the import of Liquefied Natural Gas is another step away from the sustainable and affordable energy network that t...

Greens launch petition to save oil and gas ban

The Green Party has launched a petition to save the ban on oil and gas exploration.

Story

Let’s build better, warmer, and climate-friendly

The Government must take steps to ensure that the way we build our homes is helping to meet New Zealand’s climate change targets, the Green Party s...

Sustainable buildings and warm dry homes

Everyone has the right to a warm, dry home. Instead, housing in Aotearoa often makes us sick from damp and cold. In Aotearoa, much of our housing s...

National would rather save landlords some cash than look after sick kids: Green Party

The National Party is more concerned about the back pocket of property investors than sick kids and the elderly, Green Party Co-leader Marama David...

Stop charging homeless people for emergency housing

The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop sending homeless people into thousands of dollars of debt with the Ministry of Social Develop...

Green Party: Building code out of date and won’t ensure warm, dry homes

In response to calls for a compulsory energy rating for buildings the Green Party is renewing calls for the building code to take better account of...

Green Party calling for bold steps to tackle issues in Salvation Army report

The Green Party agrees with the Salvation Army that bold new steps are needed to stop a worrying trajectory of increased rent rises and homelessnes...