The New Zealand Initiative’s report on a sugar tax is deeply flawed, and the fact that the junk-food lobby are members and funders of this so-called independent “think tank” highlights a credibility gap, the Green Party said. “The New Zealand Initiative cares more about junk-food barons’ bottom lines than it cares about Kiwis who are getting sick and dying because of obesity-related illnesses,” said Green Party health spokesperson Kevin Hague. “Taxing sugary drinks to help curb obesity is not some...

An urgent nationwide inquiry is needed to address the strain that mental health services are under following a damning review into Waikato’s mental health services, the Green Party said today. “Mental health services in DHBs are under-resourced and the Minister’s slow erosion of budgets has stretched services past breaking point. Families around the country need to know that mental health services are able to do their job,” Green Party health spokesperson Kevin Hague said. Dr John Crawshaw, Director of Mental...

While the White House has declared the health impacts of climate change “one of the gravest threats” to America, at least one New Zealand health board is denying evidence global warming will have any impact on human health at all, the Green Party says. A survey of District Health Boards (DHBs) by the Green Party found that almost half had incomplete or inadequate plans in place to prepare for the health effects of climate change. The Wairarapa DHB even claimed...

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman needs to listen to the growing chorus of health experts who are calling for immediate action on obesity-related disease, the Green Party said today. Seventy leading public health specialists have asked the Government to implement a tax on sugary drinks to tackle New Zealand's high rates of childhood obesity – amongst the highest in the world according to a recent Lancet report.     “The Government has it wrong when it comes to fighting childhood obesity...

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman’s kneejerk opposition to changing the legal status of cannabis is out of step with the Police Association and a growing international consensus that current drug laws aren’t working, the Green Party said today. The Police Association this morning said updating our drug laws could be a way of reducing gang crime.  This followed a major review by the Lancet and Johns Hopkins University that found that the world-wide ‘war on drugs’ has caused more harm than...

The Green Party is offering to work with other political parties on evidence-based drug law reform and welcomes Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne’s suggestion that drugs be viewed as a health issue. Peter Dunne was reported today as saying that he was open to reviewing evidence around the decriminalisation of cannabis, and that he was unsure that New Zealand’s drug law was still fit for purpose. “It is fantastic to hear that the Government is considering regulating drugs in terms...

The Government must restore some of the millions of dollars it has eroded from the health budget, in order to avoid medical workers’ conditions being cut, and head off impending strike action, the Green Party said today. People who work at Auckland’s three District Health Boards’ (DHB) have announced they will strike on April 8th over moves to cut the pay of new medical staff and reduce the working conditions of current staff in order to fund expanded services in...

The Health Minister should follow the bold move of the UK chancellor who overnight announced he’d introduce a sugar levy on soft drinks, a move that is being tipped to “take over the world”, the Green Party says. UK Chancellor George Osborne is being hailed as a hero for children after overnight introducing a sugar levy on soft drinks from 2018. New Zealand Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has repeatedly refused to introduce a similar levy here, despite advice to do...

The Green Party expresses its sorrow over the passing of New Zealand cricketing legend Martin Crowe. “Martin Crowe was an inspirational leader in New Zealand cricket, and an extraordinarily talented guy who shone on the international stage,” Green Party MP Kevin Hague said. “I would like to extend my sympathies to his family. “Martin’s prodigious talent meant that we won many cricket games that perhaps we shouldn’t have. “He has been an influential batting coach to some of the stars today,...

The Government must be 100 percent clear with New Zealanders about whether it’s preparing to cave in to US pressure over extending patent protections in the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) that would make biologic medicines more expensive, the Green Party said. Reports from the USA suggest the pharmaceutical industry is pushing the US Government to force Australia and New Zealand to accept a longer patent period that would raise the cost of medicines, before the deal is signed on...