Over $3.5 million in anonymous donations to the National Party in 2017 shows why we urgently need donations reform in Aotearoa New Zealand, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. 

The Green Party is calling for a major rethink of how political parties accept donations in New Zealand.

We should reduce the social harm from gambling and ensure community groups don’t need to reply on gambling revenue. Gambling legislation and regulation should focus on harm minimisation The most harmful forms of gambling, like pokie machines, should be regulated. Fundraising raffles and workplace sweepstakes are not a problem. Gambling turnover should be levied, with all revenue going to independent problem gambling support and related social services. The Minister of Racing position should be eliminated, and their functions given to...

Arts and arts practitioners should be valued and supported, and our heritage protected and preserved. Our strong creative sectors have intrinsic value to society and significant economic potential. Access to and participation in the arts should be affordable and widespread Government support should encourage and foster art in diverse, migrant, and low-income communities, including funding galleries, theatres, and other artistic organisations. Arts education should be funded at all levels and supported by an arts education strategy in early childhood centres...

Green Party MP Marama Davidson is safe and well and is expected to be deported from Israel imminently, after being detained in Tel Aviv, the Green Party said today. 

The Government needs to come clean about how many more of the construction-related jobs for the SkyCity convention centre will actually be overseas, following news that half of the steel frame construction work has been given to a Thailand-based company, the Green Party said today. “Steven Joyce needs to front up about how many more of the jobs he promised for New Zealanders will actually be overseas,” Green Party gambling spokesperson Denise Roche said. “The pokies-for-convention-centre deal was always bad...

The Government should be focused on helping problem gamblers and their families, not producing PR that glorifies the pokie machine industry, the Green Party said. The Department of Internal Affairs is producing an e-booklet to “promote the benefit of gaming machine funding to communities”, announced this week in its regular Gambits:now newsletter for the gambling industry. “The Government should be helping problem gamblers get their lives back on track, not wasting public money on PR for the pokies industry,” Green...

The Government’s u-turn on plans to increase the amount of money that pokie machine operators are required to return to communities through grant funding will deny local sports, arts, and community groups the funding they need, the Green Party said. The proportion of pokie machine expenditure that must be returned to communities is currently 40 percent of GST-exclusive gross proceeds, and was scheduled to increase to 41 percent this year and 42 percent in 2018. These increases have been cancelled...

The turning of the sod for the SkyCity Convention Centre today is not a cause for celebration for Auckland, it’s a disaster for the entire country, the Green Party said. “John Key and Steven Joyce may be smiling as they rub shoulders with the SkyCity executives today, but in reality the expansion of the SkyCity casino empire is a disaster for New Zealand, not a day for celebration,” Green Party Internal Affairs spokesperson Denise Roche said. “The pokies-for-convention-centre deal symbolises...