New figures out today reveal a bleak trend for New Zealand women, with the gender pay gap continuing to grow, the Green Party said today. Figures from the Labour Market Statistics: June 2016 quarter show an increase in the gender pay gap from 11.8% to 12%. Four years ago, the gender pay gap was $9.1%. “The fact that there’s still such large imbalance in pay shows how far we have to go on getting women a fair go,” Green Party...

New figures out today reveal a bleak trend for New Zealand women, with the gender pay gap continuing to grow, the Green Party said today. Figures from the Labour Market Statistics: June 2016 quarter show an increase in the gender pay gap from 11.8% to 12%. Four years ago, the gender pay gap was $9.1%. “The fact that there’s still such large imbalance in pay shows how far we have to go on getting women a fair go,” Green Party...

It is heartening that the Government is finally starting to address the failure of our justice system to provide protection for victims of family violence or support abusers to change,  the Green Party said today. “Family violence is currently embedded in New Zealand culture and we all need to be brave to face the level of changes needed to address it,” Green Party women’s spokesperson Jan Logie said. “Too many families have been further traumatised and indebted trying to get...

The Green Party is calling on the Government not to stop funding Social Work Study Awards, which support social workers to gain new skills and qualifications. The Study Awards assist community workers to undertake part-time study for a degree level qualification in social work. “If the National Government was actually committed to its so-called investment approach, investing in the very people who work at the coalface in our communities would be a priority," said Green Party social development spokesperson Jan...

The National Government should withdraw the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill (No. 2) in the face of overwhelming opposition from mayors and councils nationwide, the Green Party said. The Bill gives the Local Government Commission the power to give control of councils’ key functions and services to unelected Council Controlled Organisations, without councils’ agreement or consulting affected communities. “When so many mayors and councils are opposed to these antidemocratic changes being forced on them, the Government needs to withdraw...

The newly named Ministry of Vulnerable Children Tamariki Oranga could stigmatise the very children it should be helping, the Green Party said today.

New figures obtained by the Green Party show that the amount of debt owed by beneficiaries to the Government is skyrocketing. Before National was elected in 2008, just 49 per cent of beneficiaries owed money to WINZ, at an average of $2,021 per person. Now 60 per cent of beneficiaries have an average debt of $2,584. “We clearly have a broken system when New Zealanders who are already in dire financial circumstances are racking up debt to a Government with...

The Green Party shares the concerns of councils and mayors around the country about the Government’s proposals to reduce the decision-making power of elected local representation through further amalgamations and Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs). Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt has come out opposing the Government’s local government bill, and at the recent Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) conference, nearly all LGNZ members voted for a remit opposing the changes. “The local voice needs to remain in local government, yet the Government’s proposed...

The National Government is removing critical frontline support for families who are struggling, the Green Party said today.

A Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) report today shows the need for an urgent review into how mothers are being treated by the Ministry of Social Development, the Green Party said today. The CPAG report ‘Kathryn’s Story’ tells a heart-breaking story of one woman who has been subjected to more than 15 years of prosecution, jail, losing her children to the state, and debt repayment. There are still unclear rules around whether single mothers can claim a Sole Parent Support...