The Green Party is calling on the Government to embrace new ideas to steer New Zealand away from global economic turmoil following stock market crises in China and the USA, or else risk repeating the mistakes it made in 2009-10. “The Government’s response to the last financial crisis was to borrow billions of dollars and spend it on tax cuts for the rich and motorways with dubious business cases,’ Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said. “Six years and billions of...

SERCO should now be issued with a final warning following new revelations a staff member at the Mt Eden Correctional Facility was caught on camera fighting with an inmate, said the Green Party today.

John Key should protect New Zealand’s international reputation by standing down Murray McCully while his role in the Saudi sheep saga is investigated by the Auditor-General, the Green Party said today. “It’s embarrassing that Murray McCully is representing New Zealand on the international stage while he’s under investigation for the role he played in these very dodgy dealings,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw “Keeping Murray McCully on duty overseas may help protect him from having to answer to the...

The Government must rule out mass sales of Landcorp’s 137 farms to overseas interests, following suggestions that the state-owned farmer is under pressure from the falling dairy price, the Green Party said. “The Government needs to rule out sales of Landcorp’s farms to overseas interests, especially given that 5 percent of New Zealand’s agricultural land has been sold to offshore buyers in the last five years alone,” Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said. “The Government’s hands-off approach to SOE management...

The National Government must not allow one of New Zealand’s largest, most productive farms – Lochinver Station – to fall into foreign ownership, the Green Party said today. Offshore company Shanghai Pengxin has confirmed that it is aiming to buy the $70+ million Lochinver Station in the central North Island, which would be the second-largest foreign purchase of New Zealand land. The sale is currently awaiting approval from Government ministers. Shanghai Pengxin previously bought the 7,900 hectare Crafar farms. “National...

New Zealand’s ability to add value to primary products and develop our economy is being undermined by selling land and productive assets offshore, the Green Party said. KPMG’s Foreign Direct Investment in New Zealand report shows that the ownership of primary industries is increasingly being sold offshore. “It’s very difficult for the New Zealand government to promote a strategy of adding value to our primary products when New Zealanders are steadily losing ownership of land, forests, and productive assets in...

John Key needs to unequivocally say whether Foreign Minister Murray McCully misled Cabinet over his actions in the Saudi sheep deal, or provide evidence that he didn’t, the Green Party said today. “All we keep hearing is more obfuscation and word-games from John Key about whether Minister McCully misled Cabinet over his role in this shonky deal,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “There’s a very simple question here that the Prime Minister needs to answer: Did McCully mislead Cabinet...

National showed in the House today that they have learned nothing from the dairy price collapse and are failing to take reasonable steps to turn a crisis into an opportunity, the Green Party said today. “Bill English showed he’s taking no new initiative in response to collapsing dairy prices in response to questions in the House today,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “National continue to downplay the impact a $7 billion hole would leave on the economy, the effects...

Genesis Energy’s announcement that it will end coal-fired generation at Huntly in 2018 is welcome news for the environment and shows leadership where the Government has failed to take action, the Green Party said today. “This is the beginning of the end for coal use in New Zealand. This move by Genesis will reduce our carbon emissions significantly and gives us hope for the future,” said Green Party co-leader James Shaw. “Genesis’ coal use at Huntly generated 1,624kt of CO2...

Following revelations of serious concerns expressed by both the Auditor General and Treasury, the Green Party has once again written to the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) urging her to investigate the pay-offs made to Saudi businessman Mr Hamood Al-Ali Al-Khalaf.