Category: Green Party

Source: Green Party

The Climate Change Commission’s latest advice indicates Aotearoa needs to be stepping up on climate action. 

“Climate action is more urgent than ever, but this Government is taking Aotearoa backwards,” says Green Party Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Teanau Tuiono.

“The Government needs to start taking our pledges under the Paris Agreement seriously and increase our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).The Commission’s advice shows that domestic emissions reduction efforts can take us a long way in meeting these pledges – if we put in the work now.”

“Delay is the new denial, and the longer the Government kicks the can down the road the worse things will be for our tamariki and mokopuna.

“We urge the Government to step up with bold, meaningful targets that match the scale of this crisis and start working on achieving emissions reductions at home that we know are completely possible. 

“The Commission makes it clear that reaching our international climate targets through decarbonising our industry, transport and energy is well within reach. However, this Government has put us in reverse when we need to be moving forward at full speed on this path.

“An approach which takes a high level of ambition towards reducing our domestic emissions is not only more equitable, but it would open up billions of dollars in clean energy investments, and directly benefit New Zealanders. 

“By making the right choices today at home, we can live up to our commitments under the Paris Agreement and set a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) that positions New Zealand as a credible and consistent climate leader. But we have to get going now. 

“With our Pacific Island neighbours bearing the brunt of climate impacts, New Zealand has a duty to lead by example. The Prime Minister’s statements at CHOGM need to be backed by concrete action. 

“The time for uncertainty has passed. This report shows that there are huge gains to be made – for both our country and the world – if New Zealand takes bold, clear actions now.” says Teanau Tuiono.

Source: Green Party

Break out the punchlines and dust off your meme folder: Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter’s Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill was pulled from the Ballot yesterday.

“Satire is more than a joke – it’s also a way of making sense of a world that can sometimes feel dark and heavy,” says Kahurangi Carter.

“This Bill is designed to provide space for creators, artists, commentators, and everyday Kiwis to poke a little fun without breaking the law – or the bank. 

“In New Zealand, we’re renowned for our love of spoofs, parodies, and dark humour. But right now, our dry wit can get us into hot water. Artists are currently vulnerable to legal threat for making satire.

“Given the changing cultural landscape, with the prominence of social media, it’s clear we need to bring our law up to date, and into line with the laws of other developed countries, including Australia, the United States, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany.

“It’s a little ironic that we, a nation of quintessential dry-humour lovers, can’t lampoon and parody with the rest of the world without risk of breaching copyright. And yes, that includes making proper memes.

“This Bill protects artists’ right to freedom of speech, and in doing so helps protect our democracy. Humour is essential to a thriving democracy, with both parody and satire playing a critical role in public discourse. If it passes, big companies won’t be able to sue artists for being cool and funny.

“We’re thrilled to be able to champion in a new era, one where creatives and artists can reflect our culture with a bit of irony, wit and perhaps even the occasional tongue-in-cheek jab.

“I call on parties across the House to get behind this Bill at its First Reading early next year.” 

“I’m also looking forward to the enthusiastic support of the Free Speech Union” says Kahurangi Carter.

Notes:

• The Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Copyright Act 1994.
• The purpose of this Bill is to introduce into New Zealand copyright law the authority to use a copyright work for the purpose of parody or satire.
• It brings New Zealand’s law in line with the laws of other developed countries, including Australia, the United States, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany.
• It also allows for a much wider interpretation of current copyright law in favour of the public wishing to use copyright works through parody or satire to promote an issue freely under our understanding of freedom of speech.
• The amendment recognises the fact that our current copyright legislation is very much outdated in the 21st century world of Internet accessibility and freedom of information. The availability and forms of copyright works now take on far more forms than when the Copyright Act 1994 was first written, and New Zealand must adapt to this changing world.

Source: Green Party

The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. 

The three opposition parties are listening to the clear and unified voice of Te Iwi Māori. 

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is sidelining these voices and ignoring a scathing Waitangi Tribunal report, while pandering to a dangerous, reactionary fringe. It’s time for Christopher Luxon to stand by his word to Māori at Waitangi this year that he will “Honour the Treaty”.

“This Government is waging war on our existence as Māori and on the fabric of this nation. To all the people of Aotearoa, we need you. We need you all to join the Hīkoi for Te Tiriti. Tangata Whenua, Tangata Moana, Tangata Tiriti, this fight belongs to all of us,” Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said.

“We are a movement that leaves no one behind. We are uniting for the Aotearoa our mokopuna deserve to inherit. This kaupapa is bigger than each of us,” Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said.

“Governments come and go. Politicians come and go. Te Tiriti is foundational and enduring. Honouring Te Tiriti is the constitutional obligation of every Prime Minister – something Christopher Luxon must take personal responsibility for. Our nation has real, deep issues to deal with instead of this desperate, divisive, imported culture war,” Green Party Co-leader, Chlöe Swarbrick said.

“This bill fails to uphold the promises made in the Treaty and disregards the voices of Māori. It is essential that we protect the principles of partnership, participation, and protection that the Treaty embodies,” Labour leader Chris Hipkins said.

Labour Party, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on all New Zealanders mobilise with them against this bill and advocate for a future that respects Te Tiriti.

Source: Green Party

The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy.

“The US election result should be a wake-up call that our country must steer clear of the AUKUS military pact,” says the Green Party Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Teanau Tuiono.

“We cannot be hustled into a military alliance with the US, especially when it’s about to be led by a volatile firebrand with fascist leanings who cozies up to autocrats and dictators, and attacks the rights of women, immigrants, rainbow communities and the most vulnerable.

“Aotearoa New Zealand must return to the independent and principled approach to foreign affairs that we were valued for in the international community. We should use that position to advance climate action, protect nature, advocate for indigenous and human rights, and global justice.

“Advocating for, and working towards, peaceful solutions to the world’s conflicts must be an absolute priority for our country. Unfortunately, this Government is jeopardising our independent foreign policy voice and falling into line behind a march to conflict and great power antagonism that is reckless and unnecessary.

“The current, unstable geopolitical environment calls for cool heads. We should not be entering into any pillar of the AUKUS framework. Even if Pillar 2 is the so-called technology-only part of the agreement, it is still part of the same precarious project fixated on conflict with the west’s perceived enemies.

“The US involvement in the atrocities in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East should serve as a warning to us that tying ourselves to the military projects of a state that allows or facilitates indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations is unacceptable.

“Let’s remain an advocate for diplomacy and dialogue, and pursue our independent voice in world affairs. That’s what other countries look to us for,” says Teanau Tuiono.

Source: Green Party

Today, Statistics New Zealand’s latest labour market report revealed that unemployment has reached 4.8 per cent, the highest rate since late 2020, during the COVID pandemic.

“The Government’s economy for the rich is leaving thousands behind,” says the Green Party’s Spokesperson for Social Development and Employment, Ricardo Menéndez-March.

“We can build an economy that works for everyone and leaves nobody behind by investing in the public services and infrastructure which support our communities as well as programmes like jobs for nature that provide people with meaningful and stable work. 

“The unemployment rate has hit the highest level since COVID, and this is down to the coalition government relying on making people unemployed to lower inflation while prioritising tax cuts, slashing public investment, and undermining the construction industry.

“Losing a job shouldn’t condemn families to poverty, yet successive Governments have set benefit levels below the poverty line and pushed ahead with sanctions that entrench hardship. 

“Instead of punching down on those doing it the toughest and pushing more children into hardship, the Greens will lift all families out of poverty with a Guaranteed Minimum Income. 

“This Government’s punitive approach to welfare and public investment is clearly not working. The Government has engineered an economy that punches down on our communities, one without jobs that simultaneously punishes people for not being able to find work. 

“Poverty is a political choice, one that successive governments have chosen not to address. However, with unemployment rising and households experiencing wave after wave of financial strain, there is no better time than the present to end poverty and introduce an Income Guarantee. 

“This is a policy we campaigned on and will continue to push as disparities in wealth widen and the incomes of people on the breadline stagnate. 

“The Income Guarantee is a commitment to every New Zealander that no matter what, your income will never fall below $390 per week, after tax. For couples, our Income Guarantee will be at least $780, and a single parent will always have an income of at least $750.

“The Greens would support people into work with a supportive welfare system, more training opportunities, and restarting public investment in healthcare, schools, and houses that create good jobs,” says Ricardo Menéndez-March.

• Statistics NZ data for the September quarter can be found here. 
• The Reserve Bank’s Financial Stability report can be found here. 
• The Income Guarantee 2023 election policy can be found here. Rates have been adjusted for inflation.

Source: Green Party

The Green Party is urgently calling on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill following reports it will be introduced on Thursday. 

“It’s not too late to do the right thing, Christopher. It’s time to abandon this Bill and honour Te Tiriti,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Justice, Tamatha Paul.  

“Te Tiriti forms the founding agreement Aotearoa was built upon. It provides the foundations for an enduring relationship between tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti that ensures everybody is looked after and nobody is left behind.

“Te Tiriti is permanent, Governments are temporary. Honouring the Treaty has to come before the honouring of coalition agreements. 

“At Waitangi, Christopher Luxon told Māori that Te Tiriti was our past, present and future. At the tangi of Kiingi Tuuhetia, he spoke to the importance of kotahitanga and the need to honour the legacy of the late Kiingi. If his words are actually worth anything, he would not allow legislation that aims to completely corrupt and defile the defining essence of our nation anywhere near our Parliament. 

“It is high time that his rhetoric matched the reality of his actions when it comes to Te Tiriti. He has stood by and watched as Treaty protections were removed from state care, as the Māori Health Authority was scrapped and as Māori wards were essentially erased. 

“The Prime Minister has two choices: abandon the Bill and honour our founding agreement or unleash a level of division and disharmony that will cut to the very core of our country.

“We call on the Prime Minister to do the right thing and uphold the dignity, meaning and integrity of our founding agreement,” says Tamatha Paul. 

Source: Green Party

A second Mount Victoria tunnel, a duplicate Terrace tunnel alongside highway widening will dump more traffic in the centre of Wellington and result in more pollution. 

“We know urban highway widening does not solve the problem. It’s a 1950s-style solution that makes traffic and pollution worse,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Transport, Julie Anne Genter. 

“The only way to ensure more people can move easily around Wellington in the future is to substantially invest in rail, public transport, and active transport. If the Government eventually brings in congestion pricing, people will want and need those alternatives – so logically, they should be the priority.

“If the Government is going to spend a few billion dollars on a road, it would be better spent in the regions where it will actually make a difference – not just a few kilometres of an extra lane in the centre of Wellington.

“The cost of these projects has not yet been publicly disclosed, but it will easily be more than the $3 billion deemed ‘unaffordable’ for the crucial inter-island ferries project, or the Dunedin hospital. 

“It’s outrageous that the Coalition Government is prioritising billions of dollars for a few kilometres of an extra car lane in Wellington, while cutting rail and public transport improvements that would deliver more for our people and our climate.

“The most concerning aspect is the use of the Fast Track Bill, which means local government, communities and the environment will not be considered in the least. This is a classic example of the Government dodging democracy to implement policies and projects that are bad for both people and planet. 

“Wellingtonians deserve to have a say on a project that will have such a monumental impact on the outlook of our city and its future,” says Julie Anne Genter.

Source: Green Party

A new report detailing the enormous social and economic costs of our dental system has reignited the Greens’ call for free dental care. 

“Everyone in Aotearoa deserves access to dental care – we can make this happen with a fair tax system,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Primary Health, Ricardo Menéndez March. 

“Healthcare is a human right that should be afforded to all, not just those able to pay for it. We can afford to look after one another and ensure people are not discriminated against accessing dental care due to cost. 

“Successive Governments have excluded oral health from the public health system. This has led to people living in pain and developing life-threatening conditions.  

“The Frank Advice Report paints a bleak picture of the current state of play, highlighting the billions of dollars each year that unmet oral health needs cost the economy and our communities. This report underlines the need for us to fold dental care into the public health system and make it accessible to all.

“Cost is the main barrier to accessing dental care for 44 per cent of the adult population, with an average dentist appointment costing about 40 per cent of the weekly income of someone earning the minimum wage. 

“The consequences of delaying a trip to the dentist, or leaving problems with our teeth and gums untreated, can lead to severe health issues and more expensive interventions in the long run, as well as impacting people’s ability to participate in their communities.

“The current settings are costing Aotearoa well over $6.2 billion a year, more than three times what it would cost to provide free dental health care for all. This is why the Green Party campaigned on making dental care free for everyone. All of this and more is possible with a wealth tax. 

“This report is a much-needed wake-up call and call to action for our government. Short-term cost savings for the government create costs for individuals and communities that are real and can be enormous,” says Ricardo Menéndez March. 

Source: Green Party

The Green Party is urgently calling on the Government to ban bottom trawling, following news a New Zealand bottom trawler caught 37kg of coral in international waters, prompting the suspension of all fishing in the area until 2026.

“We either ban bottom trawling or we allow our ocean ecosystems to be ripped apart and washed away,” says the Green Party Spokesperson for Oceans and Fisheries, Teanau Tuiono.

“Our oceans are the lifeblood of Aotearoa. It is incumbent upon us to protect them, not only for their beauty, but for their essential role in sustaining life on our planet.

“Today’s news is a stark reminder of the damage bottom trawling can do to the fragile ecosystems that line our ocean. Bottom trawling is infamous for its devastating impacts on marine life, and yet, here we are—witnessing the destruction of coral ecosystems that took thousands of years to grow, obliterated in moments.

“Minister Jones’ response to this environmental vandalism highlights his complete and utter disregard for our environment. It is high time he climbed out of the pocket of the industry interests that have him wrapped around their finger and stood up for our ocean before its critical ecosystems are destroyed. 

“The Green Party campaigned on banning bottom trawling on seamounts, which are abundant in the Lord Howe Rise. This damage could have been avoided. We can’t go back in time, but we can move now to prevent this from happening again. 

“This isn’t just an accident; it’s the predictable result of policies that prioritise profit over protection.

“Our oceans are not infinite resources to be exploited at whim. Allowing destructive trawling practices in these vulnerable marine areas is an outright failure to safeguard the environment.

“Our oceans and the delicate ecosystems within them cannot afford to be sacrificed. It’s time for this government to step up, end bottom trawling on seamounts, and put genuine protections in place for our marine biodiversity—before more irreplaceable ecosystems are destroyed,” says Teanau Tuiono.

Source: Green Party

The Government has very conveniently cherry-picked data from the latest MSD projections to justify its cruel agenda and punch-down policy when it comes to people living in poverty. 

“Poverty is a political choice this Government is choosing for our communities,” says the Green Party’s social development spokesperson, Ricardo Menéndez March.

“We can choose to look after each other and ensure everyone has enough to get by and that nobody gets left behind. The solutions exist and they are right at our fingertips, all that is missing is the political will. 

“The Government has failed to show any interest in ending poverty and has instead made excuses to make it worse. Today, Minister Upston has conveniently omitted that the latest projections by MSD show that people who have been hospitalised, been in prison, suffered from poor mental health, or have previously experienced housing insecurity are more likely to need a benefit for longer.

“The Government has turned its back on people living in poverty as well as the overwhelming evidence that shows punching down on people with benefit sanctions will fail to get them into work and only push them deeper and deeper into poverty. 

“Instead of working to address the underlying drivers of the insecurities that push people towards needing the benefit, Minister Upston has instead chosen to belittle those in need with benefit sanctions. This is tried, tested and failed policy proven to not help people into work but instead trap them in poverty. 

“Cruelty is the point here, not supporting people into employment. The data the Minister is leaning on does not justify or support the use of sanctions. The data is clear that the current economic conditions, coupled with young people not having their basic needs met are a big factor for people experiencing barriers to employment. 

“This is why the Greens will end poverty by introducing a guaranteed minimum income, paid for by a fairer tax system, instead of doubling down on policies that do not support young people’s aspirations.

“Instead of cherry-picking data, the Government should step up and actually support our communities, rather than find excuses to tear them down,” says Ricardo Menéndez March.