All new legislation would get put to the ‘climate change test’ under a new Members Bill launched by the Green Party today at the Federation of Asia-Pacific Green Parties Congress in Wellington. The Climate Impact Disclosure Statement Bill will require all new legislation introduced to Parliament to be accompanied by a Climate Impact Disclosure Statement that outlines what impact, if any, the new legislation would be likely to have on New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The Green Party today released a climate change snapshot of the Asia-Pacific region which highlights that the region is home to the countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions and the countries that will be most impacted by climate change. The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand released its snapshot report at the Asia-Pacific Greens Federation Congress in Wellington today. In attendance were representatives from Green parties from the Asia-Pacific region including Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan,...

The withdrawal of the development consent application to build a residential subdivision at the pristine, world-famous New Chum Wainuiototo beach in the Coromandel is a victory for the local community who have spent years fighting the proposal, the Green Party said. “This is a victory for a strong, organised community and should be an inspiration to other communities who are fighting to protect their natural heritage,” Coromandel-based Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty said. “This is also a victory for our...

Local governments throughout New Zealand will have to pick up the ongoing cost of National’s inaction on climate change, the Green Party said today. “The flooding in Dunedin highlights that the National Government needs to stop being the problem and start being part of the solution on climate change,” Green Party local government spokesperson Eugenie Sage said. “Since National came to power in 2008, New Zealand’s net emissions have increased by 13 percent; the scientific consensus is that increasing emissions...

The Government’s own economic modelling has proved John Key wrong about the cost of reducing New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, the Green Party said today following an exchange between the Prime Minister and new Green Party Co-leader James Shaw in Parliament. “It would only cost one tenth of one percent of GDP growth annually to reduce New Zealand’s emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, compared to doing nothing, according to the Government’s own economic modelling,” Green Party Co-leader...

The Government should immediately implement a moratorium on seabed mining, the Green Party said today. The Green Party is responding to the news that Trans-Tasman Resources has applied to New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals for a 4,436km2 Prospecting Permit offshore along the West Coast of the South Island.

It’s time for the Government to pull out all the stops to protect Maui’s dolphin in the wake of news that estimated numbers have fallen to between 43 and 47 individuals, said the Green Party today. Research from NABU International shows that the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin has only 10-12 mature females left, and could be extinct by 2029. It was previously thought that there were 55 individuals remaining. “We either do everything we can to save these unique...

Figures in National’s 2015 Budget revealing that nearly $31 million is being spent on increasing greenhouse emissions show just how much the emissions trading scheme (ETS) is unfair to New Zealanders who are trying to do their bit to prevent climate change, the Green Party said.   “All New Zealanders are essentially giving climate polluters almost $31 million via the tax system, whether they like it or not,” Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman said.   “The Budget has revealed that...

The Green Party will support the new levies on international passengers to protect New Zealand’s biosecurity, announced in Budget 2015. “New Zealand’s biosecurity is vital to our agricultural and tourism sectors, not to mention our natural environment, and so we will support the Government’s moves to strengthen biosecurity,” Green Party tourism and economic development spokesperson James Shaw said. “The Green Party acknowledges than some in the tourism industry have concerns about these levies, but we are encouraged that the Government...

The Environmental Protection Agency needs to apply the precautionary principle and stop the use of pesticides containing neonicotinoids due to the detrimental affect they have on New Zealand’s bees the Green party said today.