There are huge opportunities in the electricity sector to improve people’s quality of life and help stop climate change. But without leadership, we could miss the opportunities that new technologies provide and be stuck with decades of rising power prices and burning fossil fuels. Cheaper The Green Party will make electricity more affordable with winter energy payments for more than 500,000 lower-income households, to smooth out spikes in winter power bills. These will cover 75% of the average extra cost...

The Green Party today announced a comprehensive plan to tackle climate change including replacing the Emissions Trading Scheme with a Kiwi Climate Fund. “We’re the first generation that will feel the effects of climate change, and the last that can stop it. We have a responsibility to act, and the Green Party has a plan to do it,” said Green Party leader James Shaw. “The Green Party’s first priority in government will be passing the Zero Carbon Act and to...

A draft Ministry for the Environment (MfE) report on climate change, shows a grim picture for low-lying coastal areas in New Zealand.

The Green Party announced today it will seek to pass binding climate change legislation in the first 100 days in Government.  Green Party leader James Shaw made the commitment to a Zero Carbon Act on Newshub’s The Nation debate this morning. “If we are to treat climate change like our generation’s nuclear free moment, we need to back that up in law”, said Green Party leader James Shaw. “Successive governments have allowed New Zealand’s climate pollution to keep growing. Only...

The Green Party welcomes today’s announcement that the New Zealand Superannuation Fund has dumped $950 million of high-risk fossil fuel investments, despite a National Government that is still backing oil and coal. The $35 billion New Zealand Superannuation Fund announced today that it has sold off $950 million of companies with high exposure to carbon emissions and fossil fuel reserves due to the significant long-term risks they present to investors. The selloff includes New Zealand companies Genesis Energy and NZ...

Trains can help people and freight in regional New Zealand travel safely and efficiently, taking trucks and cars off the road, and reducing the pollution that causes climate change. The indefinite closure of the Manawatū Gorge is an opportunity to revitalise passenger trains in this part of New Zealand. The Green Party will: Establish a new twice-daily passenger train service between Palmerston North and Napier: the Ruahine Runner. Bring fares down on the existing Capital Connection commuter service between Palmerston...

The Green Party is backing the call by Parliament's environment watchdog for all political parties to support a new law that would require governments to tackle climate pollution in New Zealand. Today the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recommended all parties come together to support a new climate law that would make emissions targets legally binding and establish an independent expert group to advise government on climate policy and track its progress. “We have a responsibility to pass on a...

The National Government’s tinkering with the Emissions Trading Scheme will do nothing to actually reduce New Zealand’s climate pollution, the Green Party said today. Paula Bennett today announced a series of small changes to the ETS but continues to subsidise major polluters and to exclude agriculture from the scheme. The Minister also failed to lift the cap that keeps the carbon price low. “The Green Party has no faith that the changes announced to the ETS today will have any...

The Green Party today announced a plan to kick-start the green economy, create jobs in the clean technology and infrastructure sectors, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. “The Green Investment Fund will be the Kiwibank of the clean economy, kick-starting our transition to a carbon neutral economy by 2050,” Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said. “New Zealand needs to jump on board the global response to climate change and get a piece of the economic action, instead of letting it...

The Green Party is setting a target to get half of New Zealand’s freight moving by rail and sea within 10 years, which will dramatically reduce the number of dangerous trucks clogging up New Zealand’s roads. Instead of demanding that rail return a profit, which has set rail up to fail, we’ll fund it from the transport budget in the same way roads are, providing the investment needed to move freight in the most effective and clean way. Every year,...