A sustainable economy means good working conditions and fair distribution of the benefits of our natural resources.
As we respond to the disruption caused by COVID-19 and continue the transition to a climate safe future, sustainable jobs are more crucial than ever before. However, Aotearoa’s economy is still based on unsustainable extraction and exploitation – and it is vulnerable to economic shocks.
The Green Party believes job creation must prioritise restoring our environment, caring for people, and replacing emissions intensive industries with clean, renewable alternatives.
In Government, we have established Green Investment Finanace Ltd to kick start climate safe job creation, and we prioritised sustainable jobs in the COVID-19 economic response with a $1.3 billion Jobs For Nature investment to create thousands of environmental restoration jobs.
The Green Party will:
- Create thousands of jobs in green energy, including putting solar panels on the roofs of all suitable state homes, and working with businesses to replace fossil fuel equipment.
- Support a skilled workforce by increasing funding for apprenticeships and training, and ensuring secure income for students through our Guaranteed Minimum Income.
- Identify areas where Aotearoa is overly reliant on imports for essential products and invest in domestic production to improve resilience and create new local jobs.
- Scale up MSD’s “Project in the Community” Programme, which provides wage assistance for fixed-term community projects that employ people not in paid work. We will also expand this to medium-term projects with social or environmental benefits.
- Continue to invest in regional development with a focus on sustainable building and infrastructure products, regenerative agriculture and horticulture, and iwi and hapū-led economic activity.