The Green Party welcomes the move by Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne to declassify a non-psychoactive substance in cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD), for therapeutic purposes today. “It’s fantastic to see the Government finally accepting expert advice that CBD should be exempted from the Misuse of Drugs Act. This is one component of the Member’s Bill I put forward last month,” said Green Party health spokesperson Julie Anne Genter. “The Greens are committed to comprehensive drug law reform, including medicinal cannabis being...

A new report is damning about the care received by people from our mental health system, and the Minister of Health needs to take responsibility, the Green Party said today. The Auditor-General report Mental health: Effectiveness of the planning to discharge people shows that only two-thirds of people discharged from hospital will be followed up within seven days and that no DHB is meeting its target on this measure. “Our broken mental health system cannot deliver the care needed for...

Aucklanders are the biggest losers in today’s Budget, with nothing new that will fix transport and housing problems in the city, the Green Party said today. “National is either ignoring Auckland or they’re cynically holding back funding to offer later on as an election bribe,” said Green Party Auckland issues spokesperson Julie Anne Genter. “There is nothing in this Budget for the thousands of Aucklanders this afternoon on crowded buses and trains, sitting in gridlock, on their way home to...

A report released today shows that tackling child poverty is critical to improving the mental health outcomes of our young people, the Green Party said today. The Child Poverty Action Group has released its literature review into child poverty and mental health today in Auckland, with Green MP Julie Anne Genter attending. “There’s a clear link between child poverty and mental health issues.  Stress, inadequate nutrition, and insecure housing all impact on family function and children’s mental health. As soon as...

Transport Minister Simon Bridges needs to clarify his position and order an independent review into KiwRail’s decision to replace electric freight trains with unreliable diesel trains, the Green Party said today On Friday Simon Bridges conceded that "there is an avenue down the line for different decisions to be made…” This followed the release of internal KiwiRail reports showing that new diesel trains could cost $230 million more than upgrading the electric fleet, and raising concerns about their reliability. “It’s...

Simon Bridges needs to immediately halt plans to scrap New Zealand's electric freight trains following the release of KiwiRail reports raising major concerns about the diesel trains the State Owned Enterprise intends to buy, the Green Party said today. Documents provided to the Green Party show that KiwiRail bosses decided to scrap New Zealand's electric trains in December last year, despite being told their diesel replacements could cost $230 million more than simply upgrading the existing electric fleet. KiwiRail were...

New Zealanders deserve a positive and solutions-focused discussion on access to medicinal cannabis, which should be legal, accessible and affordable, the Green Party said today.

Mental health services have been in such a dire state for such a long time that only a full inquiry and a significant injection of Government money will make a difference, the Green Party said today. The Health Minister today announced that mental health services will get a cross-Government approach, mainly funded within existing baseline funding. “Families of people experiencing mental health problems are being short-changed by a Government that has been missing in action for far too long,” Green...

Increased infrastructure spending must focus on the best ways to fix the housing and transport problems in Auckland, not just a few more expensive and ineffective highways, the Green Party said today. “The most serious infrastructure problems Auckland faces are in transport and housing, and National has spent the last nine years showing that they have no idea how to fix either of them,” Green Party Auckland Issues spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “The full trains and overflowing buses every...

The Green Party supports the findings of the People’s Mental Health Review, released today, and is calling on the Government to now do its job and hold an inquiry into our strained mental health system. “Time and time again we’re hearing stories of New Zealanders not being able to get the help they need. The Government needs to do right by those people and their families, and find out why,” Green Party health spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said. “People accessing...