Category: Politics

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Marama Davidson to mark return to politics at Waitangi

Source: Green Party

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. 

“I am alive, I am well and I am back,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. 

“I’m delighted to be returning to my Taitokerau whenua, and to stand alongside my fellow wahine co-leader Chlöe and our Green Party colleagues to demonstrate our movement’s core beliefs in upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and in championing the wellbeing of people and planet. 

“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to return to my work. And I am grateful, beyond words, for the aroha and support my whānau, my community and so many have graced me with this past year.  

“I believe in community – I believe in our collective strength, and my journey over the past year has made so clear how necessary it is to take care of others, and to be taken care of. 

“We know the value of caring for one another. Together, we will create the future our mokopuna deserve,” says Marama Davidson. 

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Release: Mining plan offers false promises with real damage

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders.

“Shane Jones’ announcement is shortsighted, environmentally reckless, and a giveaway to private mining interests,” Labour’s energy spokesperson Megan Woods said.

“We are not against mining as long as it is done in an environmentally sustainable way. Under the Labour government, we were also doing work on critical minerals that would help us decarbonise and move away from fossil fuels like coal in a way that ensures jobs in the long term.

“However, the government’s plans, combined with the Fast Track law, lead to greater environmental risks with no public scrutiny.

“This Government wants New Zealanders to believe mining is essential for the energy transition, but what they won’t tell you is that gold mining has nothing to do with renewable energy and fossil fuels are the most expensive energy source that we have.

“Shane Jones talks about economic benefits, but what he is really talking about is private profits being shipped offshore while Kiwis are left with the environmental damage.

“Kiwis deserve an energy strategy that moves us forward, one that invests in wind, solar, and storage, creates sustainable jobs, and puts people before corporate profits. Instead, Shane Jones is pushing a plan that prioritises mining private profits over climate action, regional prosperity, and long-term energy security,” Megan Woods said.

“His proposal to mine the iron sands off the Coast of Taranaki drove away offshore wind investment, proving once again that this Government is holding New Zealand back while other countries move forward with clean energy solutions,” Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said.

“Climate and environmental protections are critical to our future, and this Government’s shortsighted and destructive approach will harm New Zealand’s economy long after Shane Jones is gone from Parliament.”

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Our Tamariki Deserve Better than Seymour’s Slop

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government’s blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike.

“What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Education Tākuta Ferris.

“Many tamariki rely on these meals as their only nourishment of the day, it is disgraceful that the government has put the wellbeing of their books over the wellbeing of our mokopuna.

“David Seymour may as well have cut the program entirely instead of insulting our tamariki with this slop.

“You do not sweep this kind of failure under the rug by blaming “teething problems.” This should have been thoroughly planned and tested before it was rolled out to ensure it worked for all tamariki. Instead, we have a system that has failed them, and now, it seems, no one wants to take responsibility.

“For every serious issue in this country, the government’s only solution has been to hand off their responsibility to someone else.

“We don’t have enough housing? Get overseas investors to sort it out. Our education system is failing? Charter schools will save us.

“School lunches are ‘too expensive’? Let’s get the cheapest contractor we can find and hope our kids don’t get food poisoning.

“It’s time for these Ministers to stop passing the buck. They must apologise- publicly and without delay- to all the tamariki, mātua, and kura affected by this. They must own their mistakes and fix the system, because right now, it is failing the very people it was supposed to help”, said Ferris. 

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Release: Dunedin wins, hospital build continues

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

The people of Dunedin have won in an almost year-long battle to have their hospital confirmed, but National’s delays have cost dearly.

“Though there are fewer beds than originally planned, this is a win for the people of the Southern region,” Labour health infrastructure spokesperson Tracey McLellan said.

“We have always said there is money to pay for this hospital, and the announcement today proves National was trying to make savings at the cost of good healthcare for the Southern region.

“Together we have fought hard against National’s attempts to scale back New Dunedin Hospital. The people of the Southern region deserve a state-of-the-art hospital that meets their needs now and into the future.

“According to one estimate, the Government’s poor negotiation and delays cost $100,000 per day while it sat still. This is money that should have been spent improving healthcare.

“The building of the new hospital, which Labour began and paid for, falls short of the promises National made during the election campaign, but it is the best of a bad situation.

“We’ll be watching closely to make sure this Government actually delivers on their promise and doesn’t try to cut corners down the line, both in Dunedin and at other hospitals which they said were threatened by the Dunedin project,” Tracey McLellan said.

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Greens stand with Coromandel locals against Luxon’s destructive mining policy

Source: Green Party

Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine.

“These communities have successfully opposed mining for the best part of 50 years – Jones’ latest announcement is a mere blip in history that will be undone when there’s a new Green Government,” says Green Party Spokesperson for Resources, Steve Abel.

“They know first-hand that long after the jobs have dried up and the mine bosses have taken the profits overseas the locals are left with a toxic legacy of cyanide tailings dams and acid mine drainage. 

“Our public conservation lands exist to protect our rich natural landscapes, and the unique native plants and animals that they sustain.

“When John Key’s National government proposed a similar policy in 2010, 40,000 people marched up Queen Street in vehement opposition. Now, Christopher Luxon is resurrecting the same terrible idea. 

“Mining more conservation land was a terrible idea 15 years ago and it’s a worse idea now. The message back in 2010 was clear: conservation land is for all of us, not for the profits of a wealthy few. Nothing’s changed.

“We can’t mine our way to a liveable planet. The resources we need for energy transition need to come from better waste recovery. Coal and gold are not critical minerals.

“We can’t rip, strip and bust our way to real prosperity – our well-being relies on a thriving natural world and a stable climate–and that’s why the extractive mindset is unfit for the 21st century,” says Steve Abel.

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Where’s the “culture of yes” on climate ambition?

Source: Green Party

The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security.

“This new NDC is the closest thing the Government could do to breaking the Paris Agreement and walking away from our international climate commitments without actually doing it,” says the Green Party Co-Leader and Climate Change spokesperson, Chlöe Swarbrick. 

“The expert, independent Climate Change Commission demonstrated how reductions of over 70 per cent are completely achievable, making it completely ridiculous for the Government to suggest that 51 per cent is the best we can do.

“Where’s Christopher Luxon’s much-talked-about ambition and ‘culture of yes’ when it comes to protecting the climate necessary for life as we know it?

“We have the plan, we have the tools, and we have the vision – it’s been laid out for everyone by the Climate Change Commission. All that’s missing is the political willpower. 

“This Government loves to compare our ambition to other countries – but only when it suits them. The UK has just set a target of reducing their emissions 81 per cent by 2035. We can do the same, or even better.

“Christopher Luxon has consistently told us all he’s committed to our climate targets and goals. The Paris Agreement requires all signatories to consistently ratchet up ambition. The rhetoric isn’t matching reality.

“That reality of climate change is now impossible to ignore. Every decision this Government makes to keep fossil fuels on life support and delay the transition contributes to the growing frequency and intensity of climate change charged extreme weather, ultimately costing us all the more dearly.

“This ‘culture of yes’ should be about saying ‘yes’ to a thriving future. ‘Yes’ to a liveable planet. ‘Yes’ to the kind of ambition that once upon a time made us world-leaders,” says Chlöe Swarbrick.

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Taranaki Maunga Granted Legal Personhood

Source: Te Pati Maori

Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament.

“Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. Its mana and mauri will forever be protected”, said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“For over 150 years, the grief of the Maunga’s confiscation in 1865 has carried through our whānau and iwi.

“This harm was not only an injustice but a deliberate act by the Crown to strip us of our connection, our taonga, and our mana. The impact of this muru raupatu has been felt across generations, and its mamae remain with us today.

“This Bill is a step towards restoring the balance that was lost. It reaffirms the enduring relationship between Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and our whenua, ensuring our culture, sovereignty, and identity are honoured in perpetuity.

“The Crown must now acknowledge the living, ongoing relationship we have with our whenua, with our Maunga. This is not just about the past- it is about the present and the future.

“While we celebrate this significant victory, we must not overlook the continued threats to undermine Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the ongoing attacks on te iwi Māori.

“We will not be passive in the face of these threats. Just as we have fought for the recognition of our Maunga, we will stand firm and defend our rights, our whenua, and our people with unwavering strength and conviction.

“This victory is for our tūpuna who have watched over us, for our whānau who have carried the pain, and for our mokopuna who will continue this legacy and walk in the light of our restored identity. While there is much restoration to happen, our journey of healing begins.

“Kua hoki mai te mouri o tō tātou tūpuna a Taranaki. Hoki mai e Koro, hoki mai rā e”, concluded Ngarewa-Packer.

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Time to pull plug on banking wokery

Source: ACT Party

“So far, the inquiry into rural banking has not changed my suspicion that a cabal of woke banks is neglecting rural communities in the name of climate action,” says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron.

“Banks are starving rural New Zealand of capital. Farmers have long complained they’re getting a raw deal on loans compared to their urban cousins. BNZ won’t even lend for people to set up or expand rural petrol stations.

“Banks should be supporting Kiwi farmers. If they are concerned about emissions globally, they should be falling over themselves to lend to the most efficient dairy producers in the world, lest production shift offshore where farming activity creates more emissions.

“The problem is that here we have banks acting in concert to virtue signal with anti-rural lending practices. This is in part thanks to their association with overseas umbrella organisations and the way banks are regulated.

“Through the banks’ parent companies they are part of the UN’s Net Zero Banking Alliance, which was set up to change lending practices for the sake of climate goals. The six largest banks in the United States have all left the Net Zero alliance in the last few months. It’s time for banks in New Zealand to do the same. There’s been a political sea-change and there’s no longer an appetite for corporate virtue-signalling.

“Meanwhile, the Financial Markets Authority imposes emissions reduction reporting on banks. In 2021, ACT was the only party to vote against the legislation that introduced these reporting requirements, warning that they could affect loans to farmers. We continue to support the repeal of these requirements.”

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Four-year term: New poll bodes well for better law making

Source: ACT Party

ACT Leader David Seymour is welcoming a new Horizon Research poll showing strong support for a four-year Parliamentary term. ACT’s coalition commitment includes introducing Seymour’s four-year term Bill in the first half of this term.

“Better law making is the number one thing that New Zealand can change about itself to get more economic growth, better social services, better regulation, and ultimately give the next generation more reason to stay here,” says Seymour.

“The poll shows more Kiwis support the four-year term than oppose it, by 40-30 per cent. Another 30 per cent remain unsure, and the debate has not been opened yet.

“A four-year term gives Kiwis more time to see whether political promises translate into results, so they can vote accordingly. This will lead to more accountability and better law making.

“Crucially, ACT’s proposal to extend the term comes with a balancing step to turn control of Select Committees over to the Opposition. This gives the Opposition more power to scrutinise legislation and grill Ministers and officials.

“ACT’s proposal is a constitutional change, so we won’t do it without the consent of the voters. The legislation we’ve proposed culminates in a public referendum at the end of a full Parliamentary process.

“ACT will continue to make the case for a four-year term. If New Zealanders agree at a referendum, it will vindicate the risk we took in starting a tough conversation. More importantly, we’ll have better laws and a more mature democracy.”

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Release: Frontline providers deserve certainty, not name-calling

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily.

“In August last year, Karen Chhour was calling frontline service providers “disgruntled” and accusing them of using Oranga Tamariki as a “cash cow,” Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said.

“I hope that she has taken the summer break to reflect on those comments. Frontline service providers have some of the hardest jobs, and they deserve certainty, not name-calling.

“Many vulnerable children and whānau have relationships with these providers and they do the kind of work that can be incredibly difficult, but can change lives.

“It is a relief to see some contracts have been extended out to the end of the year. While this provides immediate relief, it does not fix the uncertainty that many children and whānau face if providers’ funding is not continued.

“It appears Karen Chhour has woken up to the absolutely vital services that are provided on the frontline. Now she must ensure that support continues beyond the end of the year,” Willow-Jean Prime said.

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