Category: New Zealand Legislature

Source: Green Party

A new Clean Power Payment will save households up to $1,200 on their energy bills, every year, and slash carbon emissions. 

“The Clean Power Payment will save people money and save the planet, with the added benefit of making our homes warmer and healthier. What could be better than that?,” says Green Party co-leader James Shaw. 

“People are struggling and the planet is heating at frightening speed. We can and must deal with both challenges at the same time. 

“There is a clear answer staring us in the face: warm homes powered by clean, cheap, low-carbon energy, supplied straight from our roofs. 

“The Clean Power Payment will cut costs for families while also taking the urgent action we need to cut climate emissions and reach net-zero. 

“Instead of leaving families to waste money on cold, draughty homes, as successive governments have, the Clean Power Payment will upgrade our homes so they are warm and healthy. 

“The Clean Power Payment is as close to a perfect investment as you can get: slashing soaring bills for families, slashing emissions, and creating thousands of good jobs. 

“Most people want action on the climate crisis and action on the cost of living. The time is now for a government that will deliver solutions that last, saving people money and cutting emissions month-after-month, year-after-year. That’s exactly what the Clean Power Payment will do,” says James Shaw. 

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson added:

“The Clean Power Payment will deliver lower bills, more jobs, and cut climate emissions. That is what the Green Party is offering this election.

“We are proving once again that we are the only party with the bold solutions people need right now. 

“Our Income Guarantee will ensure everyone has an income of at least $385 per each, so we people always have enough to afford the weekly shop, pay the rent, or cover unexpected costs. Rent controls will put a limit on how much landlords can increase people’s rent each year. And now the Clean Power Payment will cut emissions and power bills, saving people hundreds of dollars a year.

“Everything we need to upgrade our homes exists. However, most of us do not have thousands of dollars spare to pay for things like solar panels, heat pumps, or double-glazing. 

“The Clean Power Payment is the obvious answer to that problem. 

“Under our plan, people will be able to access grants of up to $6,000 to cover the cost of clean energy upgrades, like putting solar power on their roof, or installing a heat pump. Plus, interest-free loans of up to $30,000 to cover the cost of additional zero carbon home upgrades.

“The Clean Power Payment will help people to upgrade their homes to be warmer, without relying on dirty fuels, so everyone can come home to a warm place which doesn’t pollute the planet,” says Marama Davidson. 

Notes 

The Green Party’s plan will help bring warm homes, good jobs and cheaper energy bills to every part of Aotearoa, helping people to make ends meet and cut climate pollution. 

• Grants of up to $6,000 to cover the cost of installing solar power and making energy efficient upgrades
• Interest-free loans of up to $30,000 to cover the cost of additional zero carbon home upgrades
• Tax deductible zero carbon upgrades for rental homes, so both tenants and landlords can benefit from energy efficient homes powered by clean, renewable energy

The Clean Power Payment is part of a broader Zero Carbon Homes upgrade that will also:

• Scale up solar on Kainga Ora homes to 30,000 more households in the next three years
• Expand Warmer Kiwi Homes to cover more zero carbon upgrades such as replacing gas heaters
• Fund Community Energy providers and by Māori, for Māori approaches to helping whānau keep their homes warm, dry and maximise their energy savings

Source: Green Party

One of the great privileges of my job is that I get to travel around the country meeting people from all walks of life.

One of the great privileges of my job is that I get to travel around the country meeting people from all walks of life.

In these conversations, one of the questions I get asked more than any other is this: what can I do, in my life and in my home, to make a difference? 

Because the climate crisis is so overwhelming in its scale and complexity, it’s near impossible for any one person, or any one family, to know what they can do, at home, to help turn it around.   

Everywhere you look in the world, climate extremes are reaching new levels.

We see it most recently – and most tragically – in the wildlifes in Hawai’i. 

We’ve seen it in mega-floods in Pakistan, in China, in South Korea. 

Italy, France, Greece and Spain have been sweltering. 

A string of record-shattering hottest days was soon followed by confirmation from climate scientists that July was the hottest July ever recorded.

Wildfires in Canada have blanketed cities across the United States in smoke. 

Here in Aotearoa, we have experienced first-hand some of the most devastating impacts of climate change.

The climate crisis is no longer something that’s happening to someone else, somewhere else, at some point in the future.

It’s happening to us. It’s happening here. And it’s happening now.

The world is being called into action by the fires, floods, droughts and storms that are occurring every single day.

At the last possible moment when there is still time to make a difference.

***

But this is not going to be a speech about the crisis unfolding around the world. 

It’s not going to be about the dire warnings governments largely ignored for three decades.

Nor the political power of the fossil fuel industry that has engineered the crisis we face. 

You can read about that in the papers, any day of the week. 

Rather, today is going to be about how we can work together to meet the crisis head on, with the urgency it demands, and in a way that makes our lives better. 

Today is about turning the crisis into something else, something better; a future where everyone has a warm home, powered by the sun, and with more money in your pocket.

Today is about what climate action looks like when we see it as an opportunity to build a better future for our children and grandchildren. 

And as a chance to make our own lives better, today. 

To rethink the homes we live in and to build stronger communities.

To change how we power our homes, so they are healthy and warm. 

And so that we pay less on our bills. 

***

Right now, the struggle to put food on the table, and to pay the bills, is the concern that rises above all others, for so many people across Aotearoa.

Inflation has stretched household budgets to breaking point. 

Food, rent, mortgage repayments, power bills. 

Thousands of kids are going without enough to eat, a good bed, warm clothes, and decent shoes. 

Parents all over the country are being forced to cut back on food to pay the bills. 

I have said before that any party that stops short of promising to lift every family out of poverty, is by definition choosing to make life harder for people.

But actually, it goes much deeper than that. 

In the absence of any plan to make sure everyone has enough to get by, other political parties are also constraining our ability to respond to the climate crisis. 

Last month, the Green Party announced our Income Guarantee. 

It is a simple and achievable promise that everyone will always have enough to cover life’s essentials – even when times are tough. 

But there’s more to it than that.

Most people would love to insulate their homes or put solar panels on their roof. 

But if their kids aren’t getting enough to eat, they are going to want to deal with that first. 

And fair enough.

So an inclusive society, where everyone has enough to put food on the table, and a safe place to call home and to live a good life, is a necessary precondition for the transition to a low carbon future. 

***

The journey to net zero is one we must take together. 

There is no single solution to the climate crisis.

There will never be a moment when we can say we have done all we need to do, that we have won.

It will take changes, both big and small, that together add up to a cleaner, greener, safer future.

I have always said that if we don’t take everyone with us and come up with solutions that benefit everyone, then we will have failed. 

That does not mean we carry on as normal while we wait for the perfect answer. 

It does mean taking advantage of the solutions available to us right now. 

Over the last couple of decades, there has been a revolution in renewable energy. 

It is now more efficient than ever, and prices have dropped dramatically.

Batteries have also plummeted in price, so we can store energy to use later.

Together with measures to save energy, harnessing the power of the sun is the single cheapest way to slash emissions and save people money on their power bills.

The only obstacle in front of us is political. 

There is no doubt that we need to leave the age of fossil fuels behind, quickly and decisively. 

But what drives our machines won’t change until we change what drives our government. 

***

Over the last six years in government, the Green Party has changed the game for climate action in Aotearoa. 

From putting climate targets into law, to ending the use of coal to heat our schools and hospitals, to – finally – putting nature at the heart of our climate response. 

Last year I ushered in the country’s first ever, comprehensive, all-of-government, Emissions Reduction Plan.

It is a blueprint for a zero-carbon Aotearoa.

With well-paying jobs doing meaningful work, upgrading the country to run on clean energy, with better infrastructure, and to restore our native wildernesses and wildlife. 

But it is still only one step of the many that we need to take. 

Even with everything we have done, we are still a long way from where we need to be.

And the reason for that is a majority government that has had other priorities.

***

The next government, which you will elect in October, will need to update our climate plan next year.

The decisions about what goes into that plan will determine climate action in Aotearoa for the remainder of this decade.

National’s and ACT’s plan to keep us hooked on fossil fuels, for as long as possible, is a recipe for higher bills and worsening climate disaster. 

It is as irresponsible as it is ignorant, as it is downright dangerous. 

The world’s scientists were warning a few weeks ago that the “era of global boiling” has arrived.

The independent experts at the Climate Change Commission are telling us that delaying action will significantly increase costs, and that acting now is the economic and morally obvious choice. 

And yet Christopher Luxon still couldn’t bring himself this week to commit to ending coal use in Aotearoa.

And the ACT party want to repeal the Zero Carbon Act, disestablish the Climate Change Commission and set us back thirty years.

I’m proud that, as a result of the work we have done in Government over the last six years, we finally have a robust price on carbon emissions. 

Polluters are paying and the Government has a tremendous opportunity to reinvest this where it will help the most – both to cut emissions and to help everyone live a good life. 

***

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the only way to get the speed and scale of action we need is to make sure the plan is led by a Green Minister of Climate Change.

One who is supported around the Cabinet table with more Green Ministers pushing for bold climate action in their own portfolios and across the Government.

I am under no illusion about the challenge in front of us. 

There are thousands of people across Aotearoa who are living in poverty.

Kids are going to work, instead of school, to help their families get by.

Our homes are notoriously cold and draughty.

And we’ve got just two and half decades to get to net zero. 

But what if I told you we can solve all of these challenges together;

That some of the quickest, cheapest and most effective solutions can be found right there in our homes;

And that with a strong Green voice, we can get started on day one of the next government?

***

Think about the things we use every day – our stoves and kitchen appliances, hot water heaters, or room heaters.

For many of us, some or all of those things still run on fossil gas. 

And every single one of them can be replaced by something that is both cheaper and cleaner. 

However, while the price of things like heat pumps and solar have tumbled over the last decade, the challenge for most of us is to cover the upfront cost. 

We know they will save you money in the long run.

But most of us don’t have a spare few thousand dollars sitting around to pay for them. 

So, today, I am delighted to announce the Green Party’s Clean Power Payment. 

The Clean Power Payment will provide up to thirty-six thousand dollars in grants and loans to help you cover the cost of upgrading your home to run on clean energy and save you money each month on your power bills.  

Every dollar we need to pay for it will come from our biggest polluters.  

Instead of leaving families to waste money on cold, draughty homes, as successive governments have done, the Clean Power Payment will support you to upgrade your home so it are healthy and warm.

It could save you around seven hundred dollars on your energy bill, every single year. 

What we are announcing today will slash emissions and your power bills – and create thousands of skilled jobs across the country. 

It is a plan to tackle the climate crisis and the cost of living crisis at the same time and at the scale that those challenges require.

And here’s how it will work. 

***

If you own your own home, you’ll be able to get up to thirty six thousand dollars to cover the cost of zero carbon home upgrades, such as rooftop solar, heat pumps, and better insulation.

Up to six thousand dollars of this will be available as a direct grant for 25% of the cost of upgrades, so you don’t have to pay it back. 

The rest will be available through a ten year interest-free loan that will be tied to your property and paid back through rates.

***

Accessing the Clean Power Payment will be made incredibly easy. 

Jump online, put your details into a website, and you’ll be given a list of accredited local suppliers to choose from. 

That’s it.

We will also scale up the payment over three years, with an initial focus on low-income households, so we make sure we get help where it is needed the most.

Together with the Income Guarantee, this will mean you have more to cover your weekly groceries, to buy the kids a new winter jacket, or pay the rent.  

The Clean Power Payment is as close to a perfect investment as you can get: slashing soaring bills for families, slashing emissions, and creating thousands of good jobs. 

***

We will also make it much easier for the one-point-four million people who are living in rental homes to get the benefits of cleaner power and lower bills, at no extra cost to you or your family.  

Right now, people who rent in Aotearoa spend more of their income on older, colder and mouldier housing than those who own. 

That is a political choice. 

This election, the Green Party is choosing to prioritise and guarantee warm, dry homes for all.

A few weeks ago we announced our Pledge to Renters.

A promise that in the first 100 days of a new government, we will introduce legislation to make sure everyone who rents always has a safe, healthy, and affordable and accessible place to call home.

A key element of this is the Rental Warrant of Fitness, which would require homes to be certified warm and dry. 

Today, we go a step further. 

Landlords who go beyond the minimum regulated standard set by the Rental Warrant of Fitness, and upgrade a rental home to run on clean energy, will be able to deduct the cost from their overall tax bill, up to a maximum of eighteen thousand dollars and two properties.  

***

For decades, those who have resisted change have persuaded us to focus on ourselves, on our individual carbon footprints, rather than on broader, systemic change. 

They do this because they know that individualising a global challenge slows down the response. 

But we also know that the individual actions that we can take, can make a difference. 

You only need to look at the success of the Clean Car Discount to see that.

Three years ago, one in one hundred new cars sold in this country was an EV.

In the month of June it was one in two.

So the next time someone asks, “what can I do, in my life and in my home, to make a difference?”, we have an answer. 

The Clean Power Payment is a collective response to the challenge of climate change that will improve our lives and the places we live.

Under our plan, thousands of homes will be warmed by a heat pump connected to solar panels on the roof and a battery in the garage.

Your morning shower will be heated by electricity instead of gas.

Old polluting gas burners will give way to electric ovens and stovetops. 

The reality is, all of these electric devices are better than the things many of us are using today. 

If you electrify your kitchen, you’re also not breathing in nitrogen dioxide that gives your kids and yourself asthma and bronchitis.

And it also lowers the cost of cooking. 

If you electrify the heating systems in your home there are similar health and money saving benefits.

Homes will also be better insulated, keeping the warm air inside, instead of paying for it to leak out through your windows and your walls. 

Taken together, the Clean Power Payment will save you hundreds of dollars on your energy bills every year.

And it will also make all of us part of a nationwide effort to build a low carbon future for our children and grandchildren. 

***

Over the next thirty years, as more of us electrify our homes and our cars, it is estimated that we will need around one hundred and seventy percent of the electricity we use today. 

Think about that.

It has taken nearly a hundred years to build the generation capacity we’ve currently got. 

And we’re going to need two-thirds of that again, on top, in just the next twenty to thirty years.

And none of it can come from fossil fuels. 

All of it will be new renewable electricity generation. 

One of the most efficient ways to meet this demand is through rooftop solar. 

An electric car charged by rooftop solar costs only about $8 a week to run.

Compare that to $62 a week in petrol. 

Over time, the ever growing number of solar panels and batteries from the Clean Power Payment will act as a vast, national battery, smoothing out the demand curves when the sun clouds over. 

If we can get rooftop solar onto thirty percent of homes in New Zealand, then we will be generating as much power from our roofs as the Huntly Power station.

And every single watt of that solar generation will be entirely emissions free.

And if every home that currently uses gas switches over to electricity, that will cut emissions equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road.  

Aotearoa can be the first country in the world to switch entirely from coal and gas to sun, water, and wind.

This plan will be a crucial part of the shift. 

***

At a time when people are struggling to make ends meet, when we are in the midst of a climate crisis, the Clean Power Payment will slash carbon emissions and slash household energy bills by hundreds of dollars every single year. 

Under our plan, Aotearoa will see one of the biggest upgrades of our homes for decades.

A plan to install heat pumps and solar power, improve insulation, and swap out every fossil fuel device, so our homes become fully electric. 

We know how to make homes safe, healthy, affordable, and warm. 

What’s so far been missing is the political willpower to do it. 

If we are to build on the progress we have made and face the climate crisis in a way that makes our lives better and saves people money, the only way – the only way – to do it…

…Is to have more Green MPs in the next Parliament and more Green Ministers in the next Government.

We choose to do these things not because they are easy, but because we cannot sit by and listen to excuses.

There are no excuses now.

No time for half-measures.

No room for marginal improvements.

This is it.

The time is now.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. 

Source: Green Party

Responding to the worrying findings of the latest State of our Gulf report, the Green Party says it would take action to ban bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf in the first 100 days of a new government.

“The Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana/Te Moanaui ā Toi is in crisis. Urgent changes are needed to how we manage fisheries and land use. The Green Party will start by protecting seabed habitats and marine life from  damaging bottom trawling,” says Green Party oceans and fisheries spokesperson Eugenie Sage.

“Exactly as expected, the latest State of our Gulf report shows the Hauraki Gulf to be in poor health. We are calling on the Government to act before it’s too late. Most people want bottom trawling stopped – and the time is now to make it happen. 

“Bottom trawling could be banned through the new Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill the Government announced this week, or by regulations under the Fisheries Act. If the Green Party is in a position to help form the next government, we will be at the table pushing for that change. 

“We will also strengthen the Fisheries Management Plan the Government released this week. The plan does not do nearly enough to ensure fish and marine species thrive and are abundant. 

“Our current fisheries management system is broken. The report highlights the fact the scallop population crashed by 37-85% in a single year before the fishery was closed. We simply can’t let this happen to other fish stocks and species. Not only that, but three of the top 20 species caught, by weight, are non-quota species. It is absurd that we are allowing extraordinary creatures like the eagle ray to be caught and killed. 

“The proposed new marine protection areas together with the existing cable protection zone will cover only 18% of the Gulf. This falls well short of what is required. 

“There needs to be a major reduction in sediment from earthworks and land development that goes into the water, and in nutrient pollution from agricultural land use on the Hauraki Plains that rivers carry into the sea. 

“The report also highlighted how essential tackling climate change is to protecting our oceans. Warmer and prolonged marine heatwaves contribute to mortality events for marine life. We need healthy oceans to help regulate the climate.

“Tīkapa Moana/Te Moanaui ā Toi/the Hauraki Gulf supports the wellbeing of more than 1.5 million people across Tāmaki Makaurau.  Today we are saying enough is enough to decades of neglect.

“Only with more Green MPs will we be able to take the necessary action to protect the health of our oceans, all the creatures that live in and on them, and people and communities who depend on healthy oceans for our survival and wellbeing,” says Eugenie Sage.

State of our Gulf 2023 is available here.

Source: Green Party

The Green Party has released a collection of stories showing the dire need for free dental care in Aotearoa.

“These submissions tell us that whānau are having to loan money or forgo crucial dental treatment entirely, due to cost. For some, it’s a choice between food on the table or a trip to the dentist,” says the Green Party Māori Development, and Pacific Peoples, spokesperson, Teanau Tuiono.

“These stories reinforce that for decades Māori and Pasifika have not been able to get the dental care they need, with nearly 50% of Māori not going to the dentist because of cost. The Green Party will invest $200 million in kaupapa Māori dental services so whānau can be supported to live happy, healthy lives.

“The Green Party knows that oral care is a basic necessity, our plan will ensure that Māori, Pasifika and rural communities can look after their teeth, without having to travel long distances or pay through the roof. We will do this by increasing the number of portable clinics, including on marae and in community hubs.

“We will also increase funding to Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority, and fund ‘by Māori-for-Māori’ community and whānau oral health services to address ongoing inequities Māori face in the dental sector.

“When whānau visit the dentist, it is important they feel safe and comfortable accessing the services they are entitled to. That is why the Green Party will support Māori and Pasifika to pursue careers in dentistry by introducing scholarships and ensuring students are supported and resourced to complete their studies, so our dentistry workforce can reflect our diverse communities.

“We know that the quality of our oral health impacts self esteem, job opportunities and the overall quality of our lives. Ko tēnei te wā, the time is now to address the inaction by successive governments and make dental care accessible for every whānau,” says Teanau Tuiono.

Source: Green Party

The Green Party has today released a collection of stories showing exactly why dental care should be free in Aotearoa.

“We put the call out for people to tell us their stories. What we heard was dire, but not surprising. This is exactly why we have promised to make dental care free for everyone,” says Green Party health spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March.

“The failure of successive governments to include dental care in the public health system has pushed some people to breaking point.

“No one should go broke just to fix their teeth. On Sunday, the Green Party announced a plan to make dental care free for everyone and to pay for it with a wealth tax.

“People should not be having teeth removed, filing down their teeth, or living in excruciating pain unable to sleep because they cannot afford dental care.

“They also shouldn’t have to drain their savings, take out loans, or open up credit cards to pay for treatment.

“These are real stories from over 500 submissions we received.

“Over 98% of people that submitted to us said they struggled to afford care. 61% said they went into debt, and another 72% said they’ve had to take time off school or work because of pain relating to untreated issues.

“None of this should be acceptable in a country as wealthy as ours. Gaps in accessing oral health care in Aotearoa are clear, and they are unfair.

“This pain doesn’t have to be a given. All it takes to change this is political willpower. The time is now,” says Ricardo Menendez March.

Click here to read the stories.

Source: Green Party

The Green Party is today welcoming long overdue protection for the Hauraki Gulf – but is calling on the Government to make sure this is a first step of many to protect our oceans.

“The Green Party welcomes today’s announcement to extend two existing marine reserves and establish 12 new marine protected areas in the Hauraki Gulf – but more urgency is needed,” says Green Party oceans and fisheries spokesperson Eugenie Sage.

“Tīkapa Moana/Te Moanaui ā Toi/the Hauraki Gulf supports the wellbeing of more than 1.5 million people across Tāmaki Makaurau.

“For decades, successive governments have allowed overfishing, sediment pollution, and destructive fishing practices to degrade the health of the Gulf, despite repeated calls and pressure from the community and mana whenua for change.

“Urgent action is needed if we are to have an Hauraki Gulf that is healthy, vibrant with life, has a strong mauri and supports abundant fish, seabirds, and other marine life

“Our biggest disappointment is that this has come so late in the term. It is good to see a commitment to introduce legislation to establish these new protected areas, but very disappointing it won’t become law before the election.

“Three years ago, the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Sea Change raised concerns about a lack of urgency. This didn’t need to wait until the last few weeks of the Parliamentary term.

“The proposed consultation on bottom trawling is yet another unnecessary delay in improving fisheries management and the health of the Gulf. The public have made their views clear.

“People want bottom trawling stopped to protect the seabed and the seafloor species. The time is now to make this happen. This is even more urgent when the biosecurity threat of Caulerpa seaweed is spread through trawling.

“Protecting our oceans is also essential to tackling climate change. A healthy ocean helps to regulate the climate and reduce the impacts of climate change.

“While today’s announcement is a welcome step, Aotearoa is still woefully behind in marine protection. We are not doing anywhere near enough to control the impacts of industrial fishing. The clock is ticking and we’re at risk of losing precious habitats forever.

“Only with more Green MPs will we be able to take the necessary action to protect the health of our ocean, and all the creatures that live in it,” says Eugenie Sage.

Auckland Central Green MP, Chlöe Swarbrick added:

“We want to acknowledge the mahi of mana whenua, activists, organisers and community continuing to keep up the pressure to get here – and how much further we all have to push the Government to go. We have had the privilege of working with the Neureuter whānau in particular these past few years to help win the well overdue High Protection Area around the Noises.

“The Government also needs to ramp up its investment and the efforts of Biosecurity NZ against the invasive Caulerpa seaweed which can form dense mats on the seafloor and smother habitats and native species. It risks being the Mycoplasma bovis of the sea and requires the same Government attention and investment,” says Chlöe Swarbrick.

Source: Green Party

Throwing tens of billions of dollars at another six lanes of traffic is not going to solve Auckland’s congestion problem – and is grossly irresponsible in the middle of a climate crisis.

“Aucklanders deserve a 21st century transport network with rapid transit connecting people where they want to go, without having to sit around in gridlock on clogged motorways,” said Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter. 

“The Government’s preferred approach to the Waitematā crossing shows they’re not serious about climate or congestion. Two new 3-lane urban motorway tunnels in a climate crisis is pouring fuel on the fire of an already overheating planet.

“These road tunnels are carbon intensive to build, and they would cost tens of billions of dollars that should instead be invested in low carbon transport options like regional rail.

“At the very least, the Government should have prioritised the light rail first.

“It is maddening that on the one hand Labour can say the economic conditions aren’t right for a fair tax system that will benefit millions of people, and on the other announce unbelievably expensive and poorly thought through transport projects.

“The Prime Minister says money doesn’t grow on trees, but apparently it does grow on roads.

“Labour and National seem to be in a road race to come up with the worst possible transport plan. Induced demand is a real thing – more urban roads, equals more cars, equals more congestion. People deserve better. 

“Green Ministers in Cabinet to speak up for the climate in every decision has never been more essential. 

“The Green Party is 100% committed to transforming rail in Auckland with a new Harbour connection, and making space for walking and cycling over the current Harbour bridge immediately. This will save billions of dollars which can be used to upgrade other rail links in the region and beyond. The time is now for real transport solutions.

“Our message is clear: if people want real action on climate change and long-term investment in public transport, the only option this year is the Green Party. More Green MPs in government will mean we can finally direct decision-making towards fast, reliable and affordable buses and trains,” says Julie Anne Genter. 

Source: Green Party

Ata mārie and welcome. 

Let me start by saying a massive thank you to all of you for being here today.

I know you’re here because you want to change Aotearoa for the better.

You know that Aotearoa can be a country where everyone has enough to cover the weekly shop and a warm, dry place to live.

You just want a government with the courage to make it happen. 

A few weeks ago, the Green Party announced our Income Guarantee.

A simple and achievable commitment to every New Zealander that no matter what, your income will never fall below $385 per week. 

This will make sure anyone out of work or studying has enough to live on, top-up the incomes for those raising tamariki, guarantee extra help for anyone who is sick or disabled, and cut taxes for 95% of New Zealanders.

And every dollar we need to pay for it will come from making sure the wealthiest few and large corporations contribute their fair share of tax. 

***

We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

We have everything we need to create the Aotearoa we all want to live in.

An Aotearoa that honours the promise of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Where everyone has enough to live a good life.

Where people have warm, affordable homes in inclusive, climate-friendly communities connected by buses and trains, cycleways, and safe walking.

We can choose to be that country. 

The biggest barrier is not a lack of resources, but the lack of political courage.

And so, in the absence of any other party giving a clear voice to the solutions we know people need, it is up to us. 

Ko tenei te wa. The time is now.

***

The places where people live, learn, work, and play shape our health in many ways.

When people can afford to pay the bills and put healthy food on the table, they can eat better and look after themselves and their whanau.

When people’s homes are warm and dry, they are less likely to get sick from mould, or need to go to the doctor with breathing difficulties. 

When a large share of someone’s income goes towards paying the rent or the mortgage, it is so much harder for people to afford healthy food. 

Being able to access quality health care close to where we live is also a vital part of a healthy, thriving society. 

Eighty-five years ago, the Government of the Right Honourable Michael Joseph Savage introduced free medical care – paid for with taxes on those who were doing extremely well. 

It was a political choice. 

A choice that reflected the underlying values of the government of the day.

A choice to allocate resources where they are needed to build the kind of communities and society that are good for all people to live in.

A recognition that our families, communities, and economy are all stronger when people can get the medical attention they need when they need it, regardless of their income or circumstances.

In Aotearoa, most of us now accept that access to high quality, free health care is essential for everyone.

We fund our hospitals. 

We make sure that if people are sick or injured, they can take time off work.

We support whānau by making sure they can take their tamariki to the doctor without having to worry about cost. 

These are all choices that governments make about who can and cannot access healthcare. 

But there is one choice that government -after-government has got fundamentally wrong.

The choice to treat our teeth differently to the rest of our bodies, making oral health a privilege only a few can now afford.

***

Seventeen years ago, the former Prime Minister Helen Clark expanded dental care from our youngest children to everyone aged 18 and under.

But here’s a question: why not everyone? 

Dental care for adults is the one aspect of healthcare that people have to pay for almost entirely out of their own pockets.

And very few actually can.

Dental care in New Zealand is currently among the most expensive in the world. 

The cost of treatment can range from $90 for a check up, to $3,000 for a single-tooth implant. 

Rather than a human right that everyone, regardless of income, is entitled to, healthy teeth have become a luxury few of us can afford.

The choices we make about how to prioritise the lives and livelihoods of those who need our support the most should be a measure of every political party.

What kind of country are we where a huge health issue that impacts every single one of us, gets so little government support.

Just two percent of health spending goes towards caring for people’s teeth – and that’s mostly for children’s services. 

Unbelievably, we have a higher rate of unmet dental care in Aotearoa because of cost than even the United States.

For people living on the lowest incomes, the situation is stark, as it is for Māori and Pasifika. 

A staggering one in every two people living on a low income needs to see a dentist but doesn’t because of cost. 

It is hard for me to imagine how anyone could defend a system that makes access to such a fundamental part of our health dependent on how much money we have. 

We have made poor oral health a badge of poverty. And the time is now to change that.

***

Toothache can be incredibly painful. 

Left untreated, it can turn into tooth decay, which can lead to other severe health problems. 

Poor oral health can stop people sleeping and cause other health complications. 

It can make people feel isolated and self conscious; impacting their self esteem and mental health.

Every single year, there are 13,000 hospital admissions in Aotearoa due to oral health related issues. 

Some of which are people going to the emergency department after taking pliers to their own teeth in a desperate attempt to fix problems that have spiralled out of control.

If you’re on a low income, the chances are you’ve probably lost at least one tooth due to untreated decay by age 40. 

For young people, it is getting so bad that more and more are having all of their teeth removed because they cannot afford to get treatment.

That is heartbreaking. 

In most cases, the issues tens of thousands of us are dealing with could have been prevented with a regular trip to the dentist. 

But it’s just too bloody expensive for most people! 

The average trip to the dentist can now be expected to set someone back a massive three hundred and fifty three dollars. 

That’s more than forty per cent of the weekly income for someone earning the minimum wage. 

Imagine trying to find a spare $350 when you can barely even cover the weekly groceries. 

A recent poll revealed that seven in 10 adults in Aotearoa delay going to the dentist because of the cost. 

Right now, there are more than 1.5 million people over the age of 18 in this country who cannot afford any type of dental care. 

If you cannot afford to go to a dentist when you need to, then what can start as a minor, treatable problem can keep getting worse and worse until the only option is life-changing surgery.

Someone who cannot afford to see a dentist today, may have to pay for a root canal in a few years time. 

***

As we speak, hundreds of thousands of people across Aotearoa need to go to a dentist, but don’t because they cannot afford the cost.

There are people who are losing sleep because of toothache, who are walking around in pain every single day when they don’t need to be.

There are people living with the constant worry that they are just one dentist visit away from going into debt, just to pay for what is essential healthcare. 

All of us know someone who has skipped going to the dentist because of the cost. 

It is an outrage that in a wealthy country like ours, such a crucial part of a person’s overall health and wellbeing is dependent upon their income.

Let’s be clear: the current dental care system in Aotearoa is broken and cruel. 

This hasn’t happened by accident. 

It is the consequence of political decisions successive governments have made to exclude dental care from the public health system. 

And it has got to change. 

So, today, I  am proud to announce that if you elect the Green Party into a stronger position in the next government, we will make dental care FREE in Aotearoa. 

For everyone. 

***

Under our plan, everyone will be able to keep their teeth healthy, and access treatment when they need it through a new community-based New Zealand Dental Service. 

Everyone will have access to free annual check-ups, cleanings, fillings and extractions as needed, at a local dentist.  

We will provide mobile dental vans, portable clinics and funding for local dental clinics, including on marae and in community hubs, so no one has to travel long distances to look after their teeth.  

The New Zealand Dental Service will provide emergency and complex dental services through local hospitals or specialist sites. 

This means people will be able to get treatment to address things like abscesses, pain, and infection before it impacts their general health.

We will prioritise kaupapa Māori healthcare services, so whānau have access to high-quality dental care.

And we will train the next generation of dentists by lifting the cap on training placements and supporting more Māori and Pasifika into careers in dentistry.

This will all be paid for by revenue from the wealth tax. 

For decades, successive governments have repeatedly denied their ability to fix major problems.

They tell us their hands are tied.

They say only little steps are possible.

But Aotearoa is a wealthy country. 

We have everything we need to build an Aotearoa that works for everyone.

***

Here’s how our plan will work. 

In the first year – from 2024 – we’ll direct Te Whatu Ora to contract with private dental providers, on a similar basis to how dental care is provided for under-18s, or through ACC. 

The details of these contracts will be worked through together with dentists to ensure it covers costs of care, and is set up to manage higher demand in the first few years. 

At the same time, Te Whatu Ora will also start delivering services directly in communities through the New Zealand Dental Service. 

This will include mobile and pop up clinics in areas that have no dental care at all at the moment.

The following year, in 2025, the New Zealand Dental Service will expand specialist care for more complex needs.

Over time, the New Zealand Dental Service will hire more dentists, and a greater share of dental services will be delivered publicly. 

Existing clinics could opt-in to being integrated into the public system, with private dentists choosing to become employees of the New Zealand Dental Service.

For people accessing services, it means getting care when you need it, in easy to access community settings. 

That could be a mobile van visiting rural communities where people currently have to travel hours to get to a dentist.

It could be a campus clinic at a university or wānanga, or a pop up clinic in a community hall or marae.  

It could be visiting a community dental clinic in your neighbourhood, with trusted dentists who you see each year for cleanings and checkups. 

The New Zealand Dental Service will be completely free of charge to everyone. 

This is a truly transformational plan that will be life changing for tens of thousands of people right across Aotearoa. 

It will mean everyone can look after their teeth and gums and access the care they need, when they need it. 

And every dollar we need to pay for it will come from a fair tax system.

***

We choose to do these things not because they are easy, but because we cannot sit by and listen to excuses.

The time for half measures is long gone. Now is the time for action.

It will not be acceptable to the tens of thousands of people living in pain; nor to the Green Party; nor to me… if people in Aotearoa continue to go without the healthcare they need.

The only thing stopping us is political courage. The money is there, we just need to decide to use it. 

It is a political choice. That’s it.

Ko tenei te wa. The time is now. 

***

This election we are in the fight of our lives.

Last Wednesday’s poll showed just how close it is going to be. 

A few seats either way could decide the future direction of Aotearoa. 

And those seats could be decided by just a few thousand votes. 

A few thousand votes could be the difference between a government that will take bold climate action and ensure everyone can live decent, healthy lives.

A government that will restore and protect nature, and tackle the climate crisis with the urgency it demands.

Or a government that will cut taxes for the wealthiest few, open up new oil drilling, and leave thousands of families struggling to get by.

This October, we have the opportunity to make a real positive difference in people’s lives. 

To take the bold action our communities so desperately need. 

Like free dental care for everyone. 

There will be political leaders who say: not yet, it’s too hard, too expensive, there are too many constraints. 

Rubbish. 

Political leaders do not get to decide what will and won’t happen after the election. 

That is your job. 

You create the mandate for bold political action.

Over the next 10 weeks you will hear from us a simple message, over and over again: 

That a vote for the Green Party will set the direction of the next Government… 

… so we can take bold climate action, guarantee everyone a warm home, and help everyone make ends meet by lifting incomes.

If you want a government that will take bold action to address the challenges we face, then the only option is a vote for the Green Party.

More Green MPs means more Green Ministers in Cabinet. 

More Green Ministers means we will be at the table to influence the direction of the next government.

More Green MPs holding the balance of power will mean that we will be able to make dental care in Aotearoa free for everyone. 

We will finally do what dentists, doctors, and public health specialists have been begging the Government to do for decades. 

Together with the Income Guarantee and Pledge to Renters, the Green Party’s New Zealand Dental Service will lift incomes and improve social services so everyone can meet their needs and live a good life.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Source: Green Party

The Green Party is today promising to make dental care free for everyone in Aotearoa.

“The time is now to make dental care free for everyone and to pay for it with a fair tax system,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. 

“Right now, oral health is a luxury few can afford. Every year millions of people put off going to the dentist because it is too damn expensive. The average cost of going to the dentist is around $350, so it’s hardly surprising that with food, rent, mortgage repayments, and power bills going up, so many people are choosing not to go. 

“Problems then, of course build up. People spend their lives in agony. It is heartbreaking to think that the situation gets so bad for some that they are taking pliers to their own teeth in a desperate attempt to fix problems that have spiralled out of control.

“Let’s be clear: the current dental care system in Aotearoa is broken and cruel. This hasn’t happened by accident, but is the consequence of political decisions successive governments have made to exclude dental care from the public health system. This has got to change. 

“Under our plan, everyone in Aotearoa will be able to visit the dentist when they need to through a new community-based New Zealand Dental Service, which will also provide emergency and complex dental services through local hospitals or specialist sites. 

“The Green Party will finally end the indifference successive governments have shown to dental care and guarantee everyone the dental care they need, when they need it,” says Marama Davidson. 

Green Party co-leader James Shaw added:

“It should not be the case that in a wealthy country like ours there are hundreds of thousands of people who cannot afford to go to the dentist, even for a basic check up. 

“Dental care for adults in Aotearoa is now among the most expensive in the world. Unbelievably, we have a higher rate of unmet dental care in Aotearoa because of cost than even the United States.

“Seventeen years ago, the former Prime Minister Helen Clark expanded dental care from our youngest children to everyone aged 18 and under. The time is now to finish the job. 

“Free dental will be fully funded through fair and simple changes to the tax system that will unlock the resources we need. Every dollar will come from those most able to contribute.

“Our fully costed plan will give everyone the peace of mind that no matter what, they can visit the dentist when they need to,” says James Shaw.