Category: Green Party

Source: Green Party

Resurrecting the archaic three-strikes legislation is an unwelcome return to a failed American-style approach to justice.

“New Zealand needs a justice system that treats all people with humanity, dignity, and respect. Bringing back the failed three strikes law will lead to grossly unfair results that disproportionately impact Māori, including much harsher sentences than would otherwise be imposed,” says Green Party Justice spokesperson Tamatha Paul.

“It is shameful that New Zealand has one of the highest imprisonment rates in the developed world. This is despite mounting evidence that mass incarceration has failed to bring down rates of crime, keep communities safe, or rehabilitate those in our system.

“The Government is hell-bent on funnelling more and more people into prisons. It is another poorly thought out idea imported from the United States that is designed to do little more than make the Government look ‘tough’. 

“If the Government genuinely cared about addressing people’s concerns about crime then it could take action to address the causes of offending, including mental healthcare, addiction treatment, housing and liveable income support, while introducing a new pathway away from prisons.  

“Imprisonment can and must be seen as a last resort, rather than the failed norm in our system.

“The three strikes law means that mistakes that people might make as teenagers will be with them for their entire life. It means even if you’ve turned your whole life around, you could still end up in prison for life. It means no matter what changes you make towards being a better person, your life is reduced down to these rigid and inhumane three strikes and there’s nothing a judge can do about it,” says Tamatha Paul. 

Source: Green Party

The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. 

Smoke, mirrors and shadows continue to shroud the Government’s fast-track legislation,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. 

“It is outrageous for Minister Bishop to release the list of stakeholders invited to participate in the fast-track process only hours before public submissions close and after thousands of people have already had their say, without crucial information. 

“The Government is trying its very best to do democracy in the dark by obscuring and restricting the information available to the public whilst limiting the opportunity people have to engage. 

“The list released this afternoon includes organisations that have lost cases in the Environment, High and Supreme Courts, failing to meet our environmental standards and now being given the opportunity by the Government to use this legislation to bypass them. 

“We join Forest and Bird in its call for the submissions period to be extended so members of the public are able to have their say whilst armed with the incredibly salient information the Government has decided to release in the final hour. 

“If Minister Bishop was truly committed to transparency he would have released this list at the start of the submissions period, not the end and without the input of the Ombudsman. 

“The Government can either rectify this by extending the submissions period or choose to continue to build on its democracy-dodging legacy by once again skirting around due process. The choice is simple,” says Marama Davidson. 

Source: Green Party

The Government’s policy announced today to ease consenting for coal mining will have a lasting impact across generations. 

“Today the Government has announced the latest frontier in its relentless assault on our planet, easing the path for more climate-heating coal mining,” says Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. 

“The window of opportunity to respond to the climate emergency is quickly closing. The International Energy Agency has made it crystal clear that if we want to limit global warming within the 1.5 degrees tipping point, we must be phasing out the use of fossil fuels, not ramping it up. 

“Coal is the dirtiest of fossil fuels and its extraction and burning costs our planet and the next generation greatly. The Government must realise its actions now will have serious ramifications for our immediate future, manifesting all the more climate-charged extreme weather events and tragedies.

“The Government are telling us they don’t care about our shared future. When someone shows you who they are, believe them.

“With Green action in Government over the last six years, total use of coal dropped by over 30% in 2022. With the lowest levels of consumption in 22 years, the last thing any of us need is the coalition ramping up coal mining.

“Instead of throwing coal, oil and gas on the climate crisis fire and gutting climate action across every single policy area as the Government has, we can and must make evidence-based, real-world steps to keep warming below 1.5degrees like our lives depend on it, because they do.”

Source: Green Party

The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. 

So much of what people value about Aotearoa is under threat from this government’s anti-environment power grab. If we are going to stop them we need as many voices as possible,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. 

“Right now, MPs on the Select Committee are accepting public submissions on this terrible law. It is a crucial opportunity for our communities to make their thoughts and feelings known – but there is only one week to go. 

“Thousands have already signed our open letter warning the Prime Minister that this government’s blatant disregard for environmental protection has no place in Aotearoa.

“Now we are organising for as many submissions as possible directly to the select committee, which are crucial for showing MPs directly that New Zealanders value nature over industry profit. 

“Despite the best efforts of the Government to dress this up as due process with shallow advisory boards and panels, the fact remains that Ministers are handing themselves extraordinary powers to approve projects that could include new coal mines, mining on parts of our precious conservation estate, and the destruction of the seabed.

“Politics doesn’t just happen every three years with an election. It happens every day with decisions made by people in power. This power ultimately rests with the people and the Green Party will fight to ensure it is felt by the Government,” says Marama Davidson. 

Source: Green Party

The Government’s announcement on tenancy rules prove that it does not care about renters. 

“We have a Government that thinks it is running a company not a country, and treats housing as a business. Housing is a human right, and every person deserves a warm, safe and affordable home, whether they own that home or not,” says Green Party Housing spokesperson Tamatha Paul. 

“Today’s announcement has made it crystal clear that this Government is not pro-tenant but pro-self interest. 

“Home ownership rates in New Zealand have drastically reduced over the past three decades, with more and more children growing up in rental housing and more and more elderly New Zealanders struggling to make ends meet while paying high rents. In particular, in Aotearoa today Māori are more likely to rent than own their homes, despite being tangata whenua. 

“Bringing back no-cause evictions will be a constant reminder to renters that they are at the whim of their landlord. It means constantly being on edge about whether you are secure in your home or not. 

“Removing tenants’ right to renew their lease at the end of a fixed-term means that people will be moving houses every year. If we want renting to be seen as a long-term, viable option in Aotearoa, as it is in many countries with greater housing security, then we must make sure that renters can see their house as a home. 

“I constantly hear horror stories about renters who have been kicked out for something as simple as putting blue tack on the walls and renters who have to pack up their whole lives and move around constantly. It completely unsettles people just trying to live their lives, and it can be distressing for children who are displaced from the communities they know and the schools they go to. The playing field is uneven and these changes to tenancy rules further tip the balance in favour of landlords.

“In New Zealand, we have a mega-landlord Prime Minister, and we have a Government made up of landlords. What we are seeing is politicians serving their own interests.

“If the Government were serious about improving things for renters, they would be building more public housing – not making it easier to kick people out,” says Tamatha Paul. 

Source: Green Party

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. 

The Consumer Guarantees (Right to Repair) Amendment Bill would empower consumers with more of a right to repair their products, minimising waste and reducing costs. 

“Too much of what we use ends up in landfill burdening our environment and also our pockets. This can change. Instead of an economy of obsolescence and throw-away culture where products often fail to last we can choose to progress towards a more sustainable and affordable society,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. 

“This Bill would require manufacturers to produce repair parts and provide resources to allow consumers to extend the life cycle of the products they use. 

“For anyone who uses a phone, fridge, toaster, television, an appliance of any shape or size, this Bill would make life a lot easier in enhancing the longevity of the resources we use to navigate our everyday lives. 

“The European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, France and other parts of the world are all implementing regulations of this nature as part of this global push towards more sustainable consumption. Here in Aotearoa, Consumer NZ has been pushing for a similar law change and I’m proud to have taken up that call through this member’s bill. 

“The longer we can keep products in use, the less emissions and waste pollution we produce in manufacturing and transporting new products. My Bill would provide a stronger pathway for people to repair and maintain the goods they buy. It would be a strong step towards building the circular economy we need to sustain a healthy planet and liveable climate. 

“This Bill combines climate action with cost of living relief. We can build a better future for ourselves whilst also enhancing our daily lives of the present. 

“I look forward to working with Parliamentary colleagues of all stripes towards progressing this Bill through the House,” says Marama Davidson.

Source: Green Party

A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. 

“Fairness is at the heart of this Bill. We had a group of New Zealand citizens who had their citizenship recognised and then had their citizenship removed by statute. That is unfair.” says Green Party spokesperson for Pacific Peoples Teanau Tuiono.

Teanau Tuiono’s Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill would restore the right to citizenship for people from Western Samoa who were born between 1924 and 1949, fixing a cruel and targeted law from the Muldoon era. 

“In 1982, the Government rushed through the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act to deny New Zealand citizenship to Western Samoans. 

“Earlier that year, the Privy Council found that because those born in Western Samoa were treated by New Zealand law as “natural-born British subjects”, they were entitled to New Zealand citizenship when it was first created in 1948. But the Muldoon Government took that right away – choosing to scapegoat a community over the rule of law.

“In March 2003 during the Government, a petition with over 90,000 signatures calling for the law’s repeal was presented to Parliament – but nothing changed.

“There are people alive today who were New Zealand citizens and had this right arbitrarily and egregiously removed through a shameful act. It is well past time to remove this law and put things right, and I’m honoured to have taken a step towards that today. 

“I want to acknowledge my brother Faʻanānā Efeso Collins. I wish he was standing in this house today, and his leadership will continue to guide my mahi on this important Bill. This first reading is for him. 

“I thank other parties for their support so far and call for continued cooperation to ensure the safe passage of this Bill into law. Together we can reconcile our past and forward as peoples who call the Pacific home,” says Teanau Tuiono. 

Additional information:

• New Zealand citizenship wasn’t created until 1948. Before then, New Zealanders were British subjects
• At the time citizenship was created, New Zealand was administering present day Samoa (known until 1997 as Western Samoa)
• In 1982, Falema‘i Lesa, a Samoan citizen living in New Zealand, was prosecuted for overstaying. She argued she wasn’t overstaying, as she said she was a New Zealand citizen
• The Privy Council ruled that, because earlier NZ legislation had treated those born in Western Samoa after 13 May 1924 as “natural-born British subjects” for the purposes of NZ law, that cohort of people received NZ citizenship when NZ established its own citizenship in 1948
• The Muldoon Government acted swiftly and in 1982 passed the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982
• The 1982 Act removed NZ citizenship from those people who, under the earlier NZ legislation, had NZ citizenship because they were born in Western Samoa between 13 May 1924 and 1 January 1949, and those claiming citizenship through those people by descent or marriage
• The Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 would mean that a person whose NZ citizenship was removed by the 1982 Act will be eligible for citizenship as of right, instead of having to go through the standard residency and citizenship application processes. 

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.