Aotearoa is strongest when everyone can be themselves, free from discrimination. The Green Party celebrates diversity and encourages understanding of all people – including diversity of gender, sex, and sexual orientation. In Government, we’ve started to make changes such as ensuring the next Census contains questions about gender identity, and secured funding to start clearing decades long waiting lists for gender affirming surgeries. Rainbow communities deserve acceptance, and equal opportunities in law and in practice. For too long, people have...

Everyone has the right to a warm, dry home. Instead, housing in Aotearoa often makes us sick from damp and cold. In Aotearoa, much of our housing stock just isn’t up to standard. Cold, draughty houses with high heating costs can and should be a thing of the past. The Green Party has been committed to warming up our homes for decades, working with both Labour and National governments to deliver subsidies for home insulation. This term, with the Green...

A flourishing tertiary education sector is well-resourced, innovative, responsive, and accessible to students. Its institutions reflect the diversity of Aotearoa and champion mātauranga Māori. Aotearoa’s tertiary education institutions have been compromised by decades of corporate behaviour that has prioritised profit over education as a public good. Successive governments have systematically devalued education and its critical contribution to the vibrancy and progress of our communities. Those who teach and research at Aotearoa’s tertiary institutions are often not recognised for the work...

Animals are worthy of care and respect, but current rules allow animal abuse and exploitation. Aotearoa could easily have a world-leading animal welfare system, but many animals are mistreated and subject to cruelty. The Green Party has championed animal welfare for decades, as the leading voice in Parliament on issues like factory farming, greyhound racing, and cage-free hens and eggs. Meanwhile, other parties have backed down on promises to ban rodeos and cruel production practices like farrowing crates.  The Green Party will strengthen Aotearoa’s animal welfare standards. We will outlaw harmful...

From the maunga to moana, water is a taonga which must be protected, but too many rivers, lakes, and wetlands have been polluted over the years, and river flows have fallen below healthy levels. At the same time, climate change disrupts rainfall patterns, putting rivers at risk from both drought and flooding. Change is happening. The Government has introduced the strongest ever water reforms. For the first time, rules for water will prioritise ecosystem baselines and Māori cultural values. These...

Everyone should be able to enjoy the dawn chorus in Aotearoa’s forests and have rivers safe for fishing, swimming, and gathering kai. But previous governments slashed conservation funding, causing hundreds of DOC rangers to lose their jobs, while allowing rivers to be degraded by intensive agriculture and urban pollution. In Government, the Green Party has secured the largest investment in conservation ever. This funding will better protect kiwi, kākāpō, takahē, and other wildlife from the predator crisis. We’ve added 64,000...

Oceans are the lifeblood of our planet. Home to a vast array of species and delicate ecosystems, and a source of kai and recreation. Our marine environments must be protected for future generations. In Government, we’ve doubled the size of the protected area for Māui and Hector’s dolphins and banned new offshore oil and gas drilling. Our oceans and marine life are still being harmed by overfishing, sediment, and nutrient and plastic pollution. Proposals for seabed mining threaten the marine...

There is no waste in nature; only cycles of resource use. The Green Party wants our communities and economy to run on the same no-waste principle. Overuse of fossil fuel- based plastic is contributing to climate change and plastic pollution. The volume of rubbish going to landfill increasing by 49% in the last decade. Our food production systems also send huge amounts of waste to landfill, where it emits greenhouse gases. The Green Party supports products that reduce waste at...

Tourism is important to Aotearoa, but it’s been hit hard by COVID-19. Our clean, green image and spectacular nature is what draws people to visit. We need to live up to that image and protect those landscapes. The tourism industry can be productive, sustainable and inclusive. Encouraging local holidays in Aotearoa is more important than ever. Now is the time for the Government to work with communities, iwi, hapū, and businesses to create jobs that will prepare the tourism sector...

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