Category: Green Party

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.

Source: Green Party

The Green Party was appalled to hear Prime Minister Christopher Luxon claim we are “doing everything we can” on climate change, while his government does nothing to address emissions in our most polluting sector. 

“Christopher Luxon’s commitment to climate action is a national disgrace and global embarrassment,” says the Green Party Spokesperson for Agriculture, Steve Abel.

“Agriculture is the biggest emitting sector in Aotearoa – accounting for more than half of our emissions. Luxon has done everything he can to make matters worse in these areas, selling out to big dairy at the expense of people and planet. 

“While Luxon tries to pivot towards electricity emissions, the cow in the room remains big dairy — agricultural emissions are more than 15 times higher than electricity emissions. Luxon is patting himself on the back while pouring oil, gas and superheating methane all over the already raging climate crisis. 

“Leaving agriculture in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) would have been the bare minimum, however, the Government chose to do the complete opposite and remove it from the ETS altogether, further delaying critical action. Delay is the new denial and falls significantly short of ‘doing everything we can.’

“Luxon saying that he believes in climate change, then doing all the things that make it worse, has the same effect as denying climate change in the first place. 

“Not only has this government ensured agriculture stays out of the ETS until 2030, but they have weakened Fresh-Water protections which does nothing to address high dairy cow stocking rates and fertiliser use that results in both increased emissions and contaminated drinking water.  

“The existential challenge of our time requires politicians to step up and make decisions for the greater good of everyone — not cave to cynical industry interests at the cost of the stable climate that sustains our food production in the first place.

“There is so much more Luxon could be doing, and he knows this. Climate action warrants bold reforms, starting with our most potent emitters,” says Steve Abel.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

The latest Emissions Reduction Plan shows that agriculture is responsible for 53 per cent of emissions (half of which comes from dairy) while electricity generation accounts for just 3.5 per cent. 

Source (page 23)

Source: Green Party

The Green Party acknowledges the historical importance of MP Teanau Tuiono’s Member’s Bill, Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill, passing its second reading in Parliament today. 

“Today marks another momentous step on our journey towards justice in Aotearoa,” says the Green Party’s 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 80s. 

“With each step we are getting closer to righting a deeply unjust and unfair wrong. 

“I am heartened by the will of MPs across the political divide to correct the historical injustice by which the New Zealand Government in 1982 stripped citizenship from thousands of Samoans. 

“That right to citizenship was taken away from them despite the Privy Council finding earlier that year that under New Zealand law they were entitled to citizenship.

“The progress of this Bill so far couldn’t have been achieved without the inter-generational efforts of the Samoan community who shared their stories with the select committee.

“Among those in the public gallery today were members of the very community whose right to citizenship was removed. I hope the passage of my Bill goes some way to atoning for past wrongs by the state.

“It is well past time to amend this law and put things right,” 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

The Green Party is calling for Youth Justice Residences to close, following a protest in which a group of young people spent the night on the roof of an Oranga Tamariki justice facility.

“Rangatahi deserve more than child prisons and military bootcamps. They deserve opportunities,” says the Green Party Spokesperson for Youth, Tamatha Paul.

“Instead of punching down on our most vulnerable, we should be providing our rangatahi with meaningful life opportunities, healthcare that addresses their needs, but most importantly, the love and care that they have never, ever had in their short lives. 

“The Greens are calling for an end to Youth Justice Residences and military-style bootcamps. Our young people deserve a system which sets them up to rebuild their lives, not to be confined to prisons which perpetuate trauma, isolation and violence

“There are young people out there who cannot imagine a life for themselves outside of prison walls, and that is a failure of successive governments, and a moral failure of our society.

“I have visited these youth justice residences and can confirm that they are child prisons. They are filled with the most vulnerable rangatahi in our country who have come from extreme levels of poverty and family abuse.

“What’s happened at Korowai Manaaki is not a unique situation. Years of research and experience shows that youth justice residences are re-traumatising and ineffective. 

“When the Office of the Children’s Commissioner reported on Korowai Manaaki recently, they revealed inappropriate and deeply troubling practices within the residences. Unfortunately, this culture can be seen across the youth justice space in Aotearoa and is a product of politicians who put winning votes above the real needs of children.

“The young people leaving these residences do not feel empowered or able to turn their lives around which leads to a lifetime of incarceration and a complete loss of human potential. It’s time to close them down.” says Tamatha Paul.

Source: Green Party

Despite resounding public opposition, the fast-track legislation is being pushed through Parliament with provisions that could have real consequences for people and planet.

“More than 90 per cent of submitters opposed this Bill. People know that the fast track will derail our environment,” says the Green Party Spokesperson for the Environment Lan Pham.

“Our well-being is intertwined with the environment. By looking after nature, we look after ourselves. We need to move on from the archaic, exploitative and extractive approach that has already seen us lose so much.

“We came to the table with a range of amendments to entrench environmental protections and ensure the voices of New Zealanders were considered, but every single one was rejected.

“Among the amendments dismissed outright were those that would have upheld environmental protections, introduced Te Tiriti considerations, given the public an opportunity to be consulted and protected the rights of current consent holders. This is the bare minimum. 

“Huge public outcry has been blatantly ignored, and overwhelming opposition has been swept aside. 

“This rushed process has silenced communities and is quite clearly ignoring evidence. 

“The Green Party will continue to fight for the environment and a liveable future for all. Decisions about our land, waters and resources must be made transparently, and with the voices of our communities and health of our environment front of mind.

“Instead of fast-tracking short-term financial gains, we believe in a process that prioritises the long-term wellbeing: of our people, our waters and our land,” says Lan Pham.