The Green Party congratulates Andrew Becroft for his appointment as the new Children’s Commissioner for New Zealand. “Andrew Becroft has been a brave champion for children, young people and for their right to justice and it’s exciting to hear he has accepted this role as Children’s Commissioner,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today. “This is a fantastic appointment for the children of New Zealand, and for the office of the Children’s Commissioner. “Andrew Becroft has made a career out...

A new report shows the Government has failed to improve New Zealand’s shocking rate of inequality in the seven years its been in power and when it comes to education it has made the outcomes for poorer kids worse, the Green Party says. UNICEF’S Fairness for Children: A league table of inequality in child wellbeing in rich countries report shows that kids in the poorest ten percent of families received nearly 50 percent less income each week than the average...

Yet another report showing that homeless families are being forced onto the streets or into cars must be the final catalyst for the Government to build the thousands of homes New Zealanders desperately need, the Green Party says. The Citizens Advice Bureau has today released a report showing that the number of homeless people seeking help has doubled under National and that families are being broken up in order to find accommodation for Mum, Dad and the kids. “The National...

Comments made by the Minister of Education on Q and A today show she is in denial about the real impacts of poverty on children's learning, said the Green Party today. “Any review of the decile system must focus on creating equity - not measuring achievement of children and then blaming schools under pressure,” said Green Party education spokesperson Catherine Delahunty. "The Minister is reviewing the decile system and quoting a low statistic on poverty impacts from the OECD, which is...

The Green Party is calling on the Government to uphold its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child* and increase the supply of state homes in Auckland, to help house the growing number of homeless families in the city. The call comes after the release of a Salvation Army report which revealed that 47 per cent (568) of people who sought help from the Army and Catholic community services were children, some of whom were...

The Green Party today announced its final social policy, before the election, aimed at ensuring that every child thrives from the day they are born. To complement the range of initiatives already announced, the Green Party will provide every newborn baby with a welcome package that includes some of the essentials needed by every baby from the day they are born. The key policy points of the package are: Provide every newborn child with a Wahakura Welcome Pack consisting of...

The Green Party today launched a billion dollar package to significantly reduce child poverty in New Zealand.