Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter will be standing in the Mount Albert by-election to be held on 25 February, said the Green Party today. Well-known for her strong advocacy of the City Rail Link and ways to cut congestion in Auckland, Ms Genter said she was looking forward to a positive campaign with the Labour Party candidate, with a focus on policies that will make Auckland fairer and greener. “New Zealanders have a big choice to make in 2017, to stick...

KiwiRail’s plan to replace its electric locomotives with a dirty diesel-powered fleet is backwards and bad news for New Zealand, the Green Party said today. The Green Party understands that KiwiRail will today announce a plan to phase out its 16 electric locomotives responsible for freight between Hamilton and Palmerston North. The electric locomotives will be replaced with Chinese-made diesel locomotives. “We are very disappointed by KiwiRail’s decision to abandon our electric freight trains and infrastructure. Many New Zealanders will...

Simon Bridges needs to commit to fully funding light rail to Auckland’s airport and North Shore to break the city’s traffic gridlock, the Green Party said today. A NZ Transport Agency briefing obtained by the Green Party shows the Government is considering fully funding major public transport projects in Auckland as it currently does with major motorway projects. The briefing identified light rail to the airport and North Shore as projects that could be 100 percent funded by central government....

Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman needs to stand up for the health of all Kiwi kids, recognise he got it wrong, and move to implement a sugary drinks tax, the Green Party said today. The New Zealand Dental Association and its partner organisations, including Diabetes NZ and the Cancer Society, have today issued a joint statement calling for a sugary drinks tax, to help combat our growing childhood obesity problem. “The way this is going, the Minister of Health will...

The Green Party today released its updated drug law reform policy, which would regulate access to cannabis and allow for medicinal cannabis. “The Green Party’s cannabis policy is evidence-based, and is focussed on ensuring New Zealanders’ health and wellbeing,” Green Party health spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said today. “Current cannabis laws are out of date and causing harm, including the criminalisation of individuals and families.  “A harm-minimisation approach means that people’s mental and physical wellbeing is prioritised ahead of criminalising...

Children drinking a cup of fizzy or other sweetened drink a day shows ingrained habits undermine public health and that the National Government needs to tax sugar-sweetened drinks, the Green Party said today. Whanau Pakari, a study from Taranaki about overweight children, showed the median intake of sweet drinks is 250mls a day, while some children are drinking two litres daily of sugary drinks. “The Minister of Health needs to stand up for the health of all Kiwi kids, bring...

The supposedly "business-friendly" National Government is out-of-step with the growing number of New Zealand companies that want stronger action on climate change, the Green Party said today. More than 50 businesses, leading New Zealanders, and non-governmental organisations today presented an open letter to Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett calling for action on the issue. The call comes just days after New Zealand’s climate policy was given the lowest ranking of ‘very poor’ in the international Climate Change Performance Index. “Major...

Record numbers of New Zealanders reaching out for help   Record numbers of New Zealanders are reaching out for mental health help and the Government needs to ensure that services are properly prepared and resourced to assist people, the Green Party said today.   The annual report of the Office of the Director of Mental Health shows an increase from 143,060 people seeking help in 2011 to 162,222 people in 2015.   “More New Zealanders than ever are reaching out...

Results from the New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS) show that many young Kiwis are not getting the primary healthcare that they need, the Green Party said today. There has been an increase in the number of 15-24-year-olds who can’t afford to see their GP, from 12.3 percent to 16.2 percent. This represents 108,000 young New Zealanders who are not able to access the healthcare that they need. “Our young people need to be able to go to their GP when...

Global climate experts have exposed an enormous credibility gap between the National Government's rhetoric on climate change and its actions, the Green Party said today. New Zealand’s response to climate change has today been labelled ‘inadequate’ for the fourth year in a row by Climate Action Tracker – an international group of climate science researchers. New Zealand is ranked below the European Union, China, USA and India. "Climate experts are effectively calling out the National Government for greenwashing," said Green...