Petrol prices haven’t been this high since the 1980s, highlighting the need to free ourselves from fossil fuel reliance, Green Party Co-Leader James Shaw said today.  

The Green Party does not support Labour Party Minister Woods allowing mining companies with existing offshore oil and gas exploration permits more time to consider if they will drill. 

The Green Party welcome the introduction of the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill, which will legislate to officially stop new offshore oil and gas exploration permits.

The Green Party is welcoming the release of stage one Electricity Price Review report and will continue to push for a transition to 100% renewable energy whilst ensuring fair pricing for houses and businesses alike, Green Party Energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes said today.  “We welcome the report and look forward to the next stage. The report is timely as the electricity sector is facing the biggest change in decades from technologies like electric vehicles and solar.  “We agree with the...

The Green Party is celebrating the launch of the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme today, which will deliver warm, dry, healthy homes for a huge number of New Zealanders. “We’re incredibly happy to see our policy becoming a reality,” says Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes. “We’ve campaigned for proper home insulation for every Kiwi home for so long, and we’re making it happen in government. “Having a warm, dry, healthy home can literally be a lifesaver. It’s good for people,...

An application to mine coal on public conservation land near Te Kuha in the Buller District has been declined, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Minister of Energy Resources Megan Woods announced today. Rangitira Developments Ltd had applied for an access arrangement under the Crown Minerals Act to mine 12 hectares of public conservation land in the Mt Rochfort Conservation Area, near Te Kuha, as part of a large opencast coal mine. The 12 ha area is part of the...

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 proposed creating a Taranaki-based Regional Research Institute focused on developing marine energy technology as part of the transition away from oil drilling. Green Party energy and resources spokesperson Gareth Hughes made the announcement at a First Union meeting in New Plymouth. Marine energy includes tidal and wave generation. “New Zealand risks falling behind in the global race to develop marine energy technology and the Green Party will help stimulate research into this exciting clean energy sector...

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...

Low-income New Zealanders are struggling to keep warm this winter, the Green Party said today. A new report by Statistics New Zealand revealed that around one in three New Zealand households are experiencing some form of energy hardship. “It’s disgraceful that almost one in three New Zealand households are having to keep the heater turned off because they can’t afford to pay the electricity bill,” said Green Party social housing spokesperson Marama Davidson. “20 Kiwi kids are dying every year...