Category: Green Party

Source: Green Party

New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. 

“Today Parliament chose to vote against progress – but I am confident New Zealand will eventually honour and uphold the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

“This  Bill was based on the internationally recognised  right to an environment capable of sustaining human life, and that this is so fundamental to society that it should be recognised as a standalone human right and enshrined into law,” says James Shaw.

“New Zealand voted in favour of an historic UN resolution in 2022, confirming that everyone, everywhere has the right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The coalition Government’s vote against my Bill today is inconsistent with the position that we take internationally.

“This legislation would have required Parliament to uphold this right. That would in turn mean considering and squarely confronting, the impacts of new legislation on our climate commitments, environment, and future generations. 

“Clearly the coalition Government is going in the other direction. They are seeking to repeal, unwind and override nearly forty years of environmental protections, sideline the Climate Change Commission and fast-track a string of environmentally degrading projects.

“The window of opportunity to preserve or restore what little remains of the wildernesses and wildlife, the forests and rivers and oceans and air that we depend on for our very survival, is closing fast.

“The right to a sustainable environment has already been recognised by many countries at national and regional levels. Today’s decision from the Government means that New Zealand will remain part of an ever-shrinking minority of countries that do not. That will eventually change, when the Greens are back in government,” says James Shaw. 

Source: Green Party

Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements.

“We once were proud to punch above our weight on the world stage but today’s draft advice from the Climate Change Commission tells us there’s a lot of work to do if we hope to live up to that legacy,” says Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. 

“Science has evolved on the inconvenient non-negotiables for a liveable planet and it says we must do more, faster, across every sector from transport to farming.

“Today the Government re-committed to existing targets two hours before new independent, expert advice said those targets needed strengthening in light of developing science and experience – least of all the memories of many New Zealanders hit with devastating climate-change-charged weather these past few years.

“In our strong Green tradition, we are ready and willing to reach across the aisle here and do the work necessary to secure all of our futures. This work is bigger than any politician or political party.

“We’re calling on the Government to take this draft advice seriously and act accordingly. We will relentlessly hold them to account to the action necessary for life on earth as we know it.

“Today the Prime Minister made a lot of noise about ambition. Updating these emissions targets in line with the science isn’t ambitious. It’s baseline decency required of all world leaders,” says Chlöe Swarbrick.

Source: Green Party

If talk is cheap, Chris Luxon’s “targets” are bankrupt.

“Today the Prime Minister has announced a wafer-thin user experience update to his shallow operating system,” says Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. 

“These nine targets come without a whiff of a plan and are deliberately geared to punish: he’s talking about kicking people out of emergency housing and off of welfare, instead of any genuinely ambitious goal to support meaningful contributions in communities or improve housing security.

“When all it takes to meet your goals is punching down, you might want to re-evaluate those goals.

“The climate targets are the homework of Hon. James Shaw and the Climate Change Commission, which the Nats already agreed to in 2022. 

“The problem is, they’ve gutted the pathway to get there by chopping public transport, walking and cycling, denser cities, the clean car discount, and are intent on pouring oil and gas on the climate crisis fire by reopening drilling and likely fast-tracking coal mining.

“The Government’s so far only meaningfully put their money where their mouth is on one thing: $2.9billion for landlords. When someone tells you who they are, believe them,” says Chlöe Swarbrick.

Source: Green Party

The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said.

“Delay is the new denial when it comes to climate change,” said Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.

“There is already a legally required, independent review of emissions reduction targets this year – which two of the three governing parties voted for. Best case, this newly announced review is a shining example of the wasteful duplication the Government says it rails against. Worst case, it’s a smokescreen to delay climate action.

“This substanceless review announcement gives us no terms of reference, no idea who the ‘expert’ reviewers are or where they would come from, and a vague timeline. 

“It sounds like the coalition might be worried that the expert, independent Climate Change Commission will deliver give them advice they don’t like when the Commission reviews emissions targets this year and so is setting up an alternative review. Unfortunately, climate science is a non-negotiable, inconvenient truth.

“Everyone agrees methane and carbon are different gases that warm the climate differently. The split gas approach in the Zero Carbon Act recognises that with different targets for carbon and methane. But we need to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions, quickly, to avoid completely overshooting our climate change targets and having to live with the consequences.

“Many farmers are already taking action to reduce their methane emissions. We have the practices, technologies, and the innovative approaches to farm management. The coalition should be supporting farmers to reduce emissions, not selling snake oil,” Chlöe Swarbrick said.

Source: Green Party

The Government’s ‘36 point’ plan for the next three months is as pointless as it is hollow.

“Today the Government has unveiled no surprises and no meaningful solutions in their 36-point bingo card for environmental destruction and trickle-down economics,” says Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. 

“Christopher Luxon is not in the boardroom anymore. The irony is these bullet points wouldn’t even hold up in the corporate world: vague, immeasurable and untethered from reality and evidence as they are.

“What on earth does raising the energy New Zealand brings to international relationships mean? For who precisely, and how in reality, does the Government want to ‘improve the rental market’?

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them. This Government has shown these past six months that its focus is squarely on gutting environmental, climate and social gains in order to line the pockets of a few at the top. They could at least be honest about it,” says Chlöe Swarbrick. 

“The vagueness of a lot of these action points fails to paint over the true colours of this Government, which is to prioritise profit over people and planet,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. 

“Climate change is barely mentioned across this plan, and even then, it is to state that the Government will be initiating a review of its methane targets that excludes farming related methane, and that it will keep farming out of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

“Looking to reopen an oil refinery in the middle of a climate crisis, rolling back Significant Natural Areas at a time our biodiversity is in decline, leaving agriculture as our most polluting sector to continue as is. This all exposes the fact that this coalition of cowards is too scared to defy the demands of their donors and do what is right and fight for a liveable climate. 

“Three strikes is failed legislation that has been widely criticised by the legal community. It is the same story with bootcamps which have failed in the past and will do the same in the future. Aotearoa deserves better than this tough on crime, soft on evidence approach to policy. 

“Today’s plan has shown, once again, that this Government is more concerned with keeping its wealthy mates happy than building a better future for all,” says Marama Davidson.   

Source: Green Party

Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. 

“Aotearoa is a Pacific nation. The interconnectedness of our whakapapa and history across Te Moana nui a Kiwa is as extensive and deep as the moana itself,” says Green Party’s Pacific Peoples Spokesperson, Teanau Tuiono.

“When Pacific peoples, communities, and cultures thrive, Aotearoa thrives. 

“For many years, the Ministry of Pacific Peoples has helped strengthen the family, community and cultural connections between Pasifika peoples living in Aotearoa and the islands.

“MPP has done this with the blessing and collective support of our community, and by empowering Pacific communities to be at the decision-making table, driving and leading innovative solutions – contributing across all government agencies to ensure Pacific voices are heard. 

“Now this government is hell bent on severing that connection. And for what? So this government can cobble together the money it needs to pay for tax cuts that benefit the wealthy few.

“Tagata Moana are more likely to be locked in to low wage work, live in cold damn unfit homes, or be homeless. Our Pacific whānau are more likely to live in poverty and die prematurely from preventable illness and disease. This is a result of the systems that have failed to support them, for generations. 

“The Ministry for Pacific Peoples was established as an opportunity to right these wrongs. To address the needs of Pacific whānau and provide guidance and advice to the government through a Pacific lens, supported and enabled by Pacific staff.

“It is crucial that our ‘aiga feel comfortable to access the care they are entitled to, we know that people are more likely to seek support from people they can relate to, people that look and talk like them and can understand their unique struggle and cultural dynamics. 

“Slashing 40% of staff for the Ministry of Pacific Peoples is nothing less than a direct attack on the livelihood and well-being of Pacific Islanders who call Aotearoa home. 

“Tagata Moana and Tangata whenua have shared whakapapa, our connections are as vast and deep as Te Moana Nui a Kiwa, The Pacific Ocean itself. The Government must recognise the huge contributions that Tagata Moana have made to our society and adequately resource and support The Ministry for Pacific Peoples to continue this vital mahi,” says Teanau Tuiono.

ENDS 

Media contact: Arohanui West 027 832 742

Source: Green Party

The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. 

“The Government must end the shameful housing crisis  by committing to an ambitious public housing programme,” says Green Party Housing spokesperson Tamatha Paul. 

“The Green Party stands with Public Housing Futures and the Child Poverty Action Group in calling for sustained investment into building public housing at pace and scale.

“Housing is a human right. Everyone should have a safe, healthy, and affordable place to make their own. 

“The government’s shallow politics of villainising people who live in public housing simply distracts us from the deeper issue, which is a scarcity of places for people to live. Governments have built public housing at scale before, we must do it again.  

“Public housing needs to be seen as a core social service – just like public healthcare and education, with investment to match community need. 

“While the last six years saw a much-needed shift to building more housing, this crisis is decades in the making. Since the early 1990s, housing in Aotearoa has become a source of enormous untaxed capital gains for some, while others struggle to face ever higher costs just to keep a roof over their heads.  

“Today’s newly released report, A People’s Review of Kāinga Ora: In Defence of Public Housing, echoes the calls the Green Party has made in Parliament for a sustained build programme to clear the waiting list. 

“The report shines a light on what is really driving this government’s agenda – that landlords are making considerable money from a lack of public housing. A lack of supply of affordable housing puts property investors and landlords in a prime position to pump up rents. 

“Aotearoa now has the least affordable rental homes in the OECD. We also claim top spot in the OECD for having the highest percentage of households paying more than 40 percent of their income on housing, significantly over the 30 per cent threshold commonly used as a measure of affordability. 

“The experiment of the last three decades has shown that leaving housing to private investors is an unmitigated disaster. Worldwide, the places that fully embrace public housing enjoy lower rents, less poverty and greater housing security for all. 

“The Green Party will continue to fight for strong and sustained public housing programme as part of ensuring everyone has what they need for a decent standard of living” says Tamatha Paul.

Source: Green Party

The Green Party calls on the Government to get serious about supporting families.

“Tax rebates for childcare will be nothing more than a drop in the ocean for families struggling to get by,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. 

“It is insulting for the Government to offer support for childcare if in every other area of life they are going to make life so much harder. Once again, National is demonstrating that they’re not actually interested in supporting people. 

“Parents are wanting quality, reliable care in areas close to where they live and work – having confidence their kids will be looked after well, with a warm and child-centred approach to education. Over the last twenty years, more and more community-based early childhood centres have closed and large, for-profit chains have expanded. 

“Rebates will ultimately fail to address the core issues plaguing our early childhood sector. It is high time we had a mature conversation about what is needed to ensure our tamariki get the best possible start in life.

“Early Childhood Education is a public good. To build strong and stable families that provide a foundation for our tamariki to thrive, we need a Government that will take action to raise incomes and invest in better access to early childhood education services. 

“For too long, successive Governments have underinvested in early childhood education  and patched up the problem with subsidies that line the pockets of private businesses who are pushing community-run, not-for-profit centres out of the market.

“A Government serious about the well-being of children would not be reducing the benefits and incomes of our most vulnerable families. It would not be threatening public housing tenants and their children with homelessness. It would not be cutting school lunches. And it certainly would not be doing all of this to fund tax cuts for the rich. 

“Making childcare more affordable for families requires more than mere tax cuts. It demands action across a range of areas – from investing in community early childhood education, pay equity for teachers, ensuring all kids have access to quality care options, and working towards universal, public, free early childhood education.

“Alongside this, the Green Party re-design the Working for Families scheme to make sure children have the best possible start in life, and are supported to thrive. 

“The Green Party will continue to call for policy that addresses the core issues surrounding our families,” says Marama Davidson.  

Source: Green Party

Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members’ bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. 

Today the Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusions) Amendment Bill was drawn from the members’ ballot and introduced to Parliament. The Bill would exempt electric vehicles from Fringe Benefit Tax for a period of five years, to provide a clear financial incentive for employers to purchase new electric vehicles as company cars.

“This Bill is an opportunity for the Government to address a glaring hole in its plan to electrify the vehicle fleet and meet their own commitment to reducing carbon emissions,” Green Party Transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter. 

“The percentage of electric vehicles coming into the country has plummeted since the Government repealed the Clean Car Discount, and the industry has warned that the high rate of Road User Charges (RUC) that will be applied to EVs from April will further disincentivise the switch to efficient, low-carbon vehicles.

“The EV Leadership Group established by former National Transport Minister Simon Bridges recommended this FBT exclusion policy, and National campaigned on this very policy in opposition in 2020. Now they can vote for my Bill to ensure that New Zealand maintains the momentum in transitioning the fleet to low-emissions vehicles, which is an essential action needed to meet our climate commitments.

“This Bill would also build on the progress the Greens made last term when the Labour Government adopted an amendment of mine that saw bicycles, electric bicycles, and other low emissions transport from fringe benefit tax when used for commuting. This came after we secured an exemption for public transport passes. 

“The majority of new vehicles imported into New Zealand are purchased by businesses, and incentivising employers will mean more EVs will become available in the second-hand market so ordinary New Zealanders can access them. The policy is unlikely to have significant revenue implications and is a temporary measure to address a critical need for climate action.

“I am thrilled the Bill was drawn, I think it’s perfect timing, given the notable absence of effective Coalition Government policies to transition to a climate-friendly transport system,” says Julie Anne Genter. 

Source: Green Party

The Green Party stands with more than 30 organisations in urging the Government to urgently set up a special visa pathway for Palestinians. 

“The situation in Gaza is worsening by the day and it is the duty of the Government to do all it can to aid those in need. I am calling on the Minister of Immigration to initiate a special visa pathway for Palestinians,” says Green Party spokesperson of Immigration Ricardo Menéndez March. 

“This is a matter of life and death. Palestinians are being left to languish in catastrophic conditions deprived of food, water, medicine, and any hope. Our Government could be doing so much more to help. 

“It is clear the current visa pathways are failing Palestinians, with millions facing displacement, loss of livelihoods and life without a realistic pathway to safety.

“New Zealand provided special visas for Ukrainians impacted by Russia’s invasion and assisted Afghans to resettle in New Zealand when the Taliban returned to power. The same offer should be extended to Palestinians facing displacement who aren’t able to enter Aotearoa via the existing pathways. 

“It took the current Minister of Immigration fourteen days to criticise the Labour Government for not implementing a special visa pathway for Ukrainians impacted by the Russian invasion. Meanwhile, the conflict in Gaza has been going for months and Minister Stanford has not introduced the equivalent visa. 

“A special visa pathway, with greater diplomatic support to leave Gaza would enable people to find safety, saving lives while we work to secure an enduring ceasefire. This visa could act as a lifeline for so many families currently at risk.

“The situation in Gaza is evolving at a rapid pace and any further complacency from the Government will mean more lives we could have saved are lost, more families we could have protected are torn apart and more children are unnecessarily exposed to life-changing trauma. 

“Aotearoa must act now. A failure to act would be a failure to honour our collective values and history of standing in solidarity with those in need,” says Ricardo Menéndez March.