The Green Party is disappointed that its Member’s Bill to enable better Māori representation in local government was voted down last night, but is vowing to continue its campaign to make it happen.

The Green Party is thrilled to have had a Member’s Bill drawn from the ballot today that will help enable better Māori representation at a local government level.

The Green Party’s Māori Caucus is excited to be launching a national outreach tour to engage with Māori communities, kicking off in Northland today.

The Green Party is congratulating Māori organisations on their victory after Anne Tolley today indicated that the Government is going back to the drawing board on reforms to Child, Youth and Family (CYFs) that would have removed the prioritisation of whānau-first placements for tamariki Māori.

The Green Party has today entered a Member’s Bill into the ballot that would make local government representation more equitable by ensuring that the establishment of both Māori and general wards on district and regional councils follows the same legal process.

The Green Party has today announced its support for universal te reo Māori in all public schools and committed to creating a comprehensive plan to achieve it. It has also launched a petition to support the call, and will be engaging with parents, tangata whenua and the education sector this year to develop a policy on how it will be delivered. “The Green Party supports teaching te reo Māori to every New Zealand child and is committed to achieving it,”...

The Green Party is deeply saddened by the passing of Archbishop William Brown Turei ONZM (Ngāti Porou), who served as the Bishop of Aotearoa – the Tikanga Māori Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in New Zealand, Aotearoa and Polynesia.

The Green Party is deeply saddened by the passing of Ngāti Awa rangatira Joseph Harawira QSM, who led the Sawmill Workers Against Poisons (SWAP) organisation. 

The Green Party is calling on the Government to front up to iwi after learning that, going right back to the Ngāi Tahu settlement in 1997, the Right of First Refusal (RFR) clause in Treaty settlements has actually meant right of first refusal for charities, not iwi.

Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill must not proceed as it fails to address the key barriers to the use of Māori land and is opposed by iwi Māori, the Green Party said today.