The Green Party have welcomed the record level of investment for Auckland in clean, green transport choices like walking, cycling, new trains, and faster public transport. Green list MP Chlöe Swarbrick said today: “Like many Aucklanders I rely on public transport to get around our city. I am stoked that our Government has committed to delivering high quality, efficient, future-proofed public transport across Tāmaki Makaurau. “With the Greens in Government it’s going to be easier for Aucklanders to choose fast,...

Statistics revealed today by the coroner show that suicide in New Zealand is at its highest since provisional statistics were first recorded in 07/08, with young people aged 20 to 24 the age cohort most effected. Māori rates are the highest since records began.  Green Party Youth spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick said, “These are not just statistics. Each number is a life of an incredible person with whānau and friends who’ll be experiencing immense loss. “This is a heart-breaking crisis, and...

Figures released today showing 40 to 45 people have died due to synthetic cannabis since last June show the need for urgent cross-party work on sensible drug law reform, says the Green Party. “The current approach based on prohibition and punishment is clearly not working,” says Green Party drug law reform spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick. “The war on drugs is a failure. “We need a strategy based on evidence and harm reduction, which supports people instead of forcing them into the...

Alleviating the pain and suffering of patients and their whānau denied access to legal medicinal cannabis requires urgent, open and collaborative cross-party action, the Green Party said today. “We are aware that National intends to table a completely new bill on medicinal cannabis – the third one before the House in the last six months,” says Green Party Drug Law Reform spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick. “It’s a real pity that they’ve rejected all our previous attempts to work together on sensible...

The Green Party said today a sharp increase in support for cannabis use shows New Zealand law is deeply out of touch with everyday New Zealanders. A Curia Market Research poll published today, commissioned by the New Zealand Drug Foundation, demonstrated swelling support across the board – for medicinal and recreational purposes, and among supporters of every political party. “This research demonstrates that New Zealand is more than ready for a mature conversation on common-sense cannabis reform.” Green Party Sensible...

Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick is stoked that her Election Access Fund Bill was pulled from the Members’ Ballot today. If passed, the Bill will establish a new contestable fund to be overseen by the Electoral Commission. People with disabilities who wish to run as election candidates will be able to apply for money from the fund, to make the electoral process more accessible; for example a profoundly deaf candidate could apply and use the money to hire a sigh...

The Green Party is supporting the Government’s medicinal cannabis legislation introduced to parliament today, but is encouraging the public to use the select committee process to push for improvements to expand the law in relation to New Zealanders suffering from chronic pain and other medical conditions who could benefit from the use of medicinal cannabis, but who are excluded from legal protections in the Bill. 

E te Māngai - E te Māngai, tēnā koe Tuatahi, ki te mana whenua o tēnei rohe, Te Ātiawat Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa Mr Speaker, Congratulations on your position. I’m immensely proud to enter this 52nd Parliament at such a time where you’ve actively sought to make the House more family friendly - to create a new normal. There’s been some critics of our having babies welcomed into this Chamber - it’s a place of work, they say. Children don’t belong in the midst of arguing. I think perhaps these critics may take for granted...