Is John Key prepared to ask his Social Development Minister to ensure that people are getting the financial support that they need for power this winter? He needs to say whether a welfare system that is driving people into debt is delivering.   New information the Green Party has obtained shows that the Government has forced nearly 60 per cent of beneficiaries into debt to WINZ to survive.   “We need a social security system that ensures that at least...

Child Youth and Family (CYF) investigations into the safety of children should be mandatory in domestic violence cases involving families with children, the Green Party said today. The Greens’ call comes after two high profile judicial decisions this week – the coronial inquiry into the deaths of Bradley and Ellen Livingstone and the verdict in the trial of the West Auckland boys charged with the death of Arun Kumar. “Each of those cases revealed a well-documented history of domestic violence,”...

The Government’s plan to allow foreign banks and big money investors to profit off mentally ill New Zealanders is a part of an ongoing plan to privatise public services, that will see more vulnerable Kiwis hurt, the Green Party says today. In the House today, Health Minister Jonathan Coleman refused to rule out the possibility of social service providers being driven to the wall by new social investment bonds that see organisations denied payment for not meeting the Government’s targets...

The Government’s closure of Relationships Aotearoa creates a worrying gap in the provision of specialist counselling services to Maori and domestic violence victims and perpetrators, the Green Party said today. “By shutting down Relationships Aotearoa, the Government is shutting down years of highly specialised knowledge and experience, which has made a real and positive difference to thousands of New Zealanders,” said Green Party women’s issues spokesperson Jan Logie.  “Relationships Aotearoa was New Zealand’s largest provider of counselling ­­– a national,...

Pink Shirt Day is the perfect time for politicians of all stripes to launch a cross-party LGBTI working group. MPs put aside their differences today and donned pink shirts to take a stand against the bullying of LGBTI people in New Zealand. The group has been established to provide education, leadership and legislative progress on LGBTI rights. It was initiated by Green Party MP Jan Logie and includes 12 members from National, Labour, NZ First, Act and the Greens. “We...

New Zealand women today are earning just $22 a week more than the national average weekly earnings in 1970, the Green Party has revealed. “It feels like we’re stuck in a bad episode of Mad Men ­­­­­­– Kiwi women aren’t getting paid what they deserve and we’ve got a long way to go until we reach pay equity,” said Green Party spokesperson for women Jan Logie. “Adjusted for inflation, New Zealanders were earning $770 a week in 1970; in Q1...

The Green Party is concerned a widespread inquiry into how the court system treats sexual violence victims is being watered down. The Green Party understands the Government has decided on a September deadline for the Law Commission’s work on possible changes to the pre-trial and courtroom procedures faced by sexual complainants. “This looks like a lost opportunity to address New Zealanders’ serious concerns about how sexual violence victims are treated in the system,” said Green Party spokesperson for women Jan...

The well-being of children must be the paramount consideration underlining the Government’s review of Child Youth and Family (CYF), the Green Party said today. “CYF has a long history of performance and organisational issues, and has been long in need of an overhaul. The Greens are giving our qualified support to the review announced by Social Development Minister Anne Tolley today,” said Jan Logie, the Green Party’s Social Development Spokesperson. “Many of the problems CYF faces relate to resourcing and...

The Green Party is calling on the Minister of Police to immediately establish an independent taskforce to implement and enforce changes in police culture in the wake of a damming report from the Independent Police Complaints Authority’s (IPCA) into the so called Roastbusters gang.

Kiwi women will have to wait 120 years, until the year 2134, before they earn as much as their male counterparts, the Green Party said today.