Green Party

It is time for John Key’s Government to admit they have gutted the budget to build and upgrade state houses, said the Green Party today.

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AUCKLAND CITY — The Super City Bill has been flawed from the beginning because of the shoddy process, its undemocratic nature, and, the fact that it sets Auckland’s assets up for privatisation, the Green Party said in a minority report presented to the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee today.

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Solid Energy’s lignite proposals will be a disaster for the climate, Green Party Co-Leader Dr Russel Norman said today.

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New Zealanders have once again reaffirmed their commitment to the protection of our wild spaces, voicing opposition to mining in protected areas of the conservation estate, the Green Party said today.

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Steven Joyce has a deficit of vision for the tertiary education sector, the Green Party said today.

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The gutting of state house funding by John Key’s Government will hurt New Zealand’s most vulnerable people, said the Green Party today.

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This Budget is a deficit Budget.

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John Key’s Government has chosen a Budget of fiscal, social and environmental deficits when smarter options were available, the Green Party said today.

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The more Kiwis learn about the Government’s mining plans, the less they like them, according to a ShapeNZ poll released today.

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Borrowing to fund tax cuts for the wealthy, new motorways, and subsidies for greenhouse polluters is fiscally irresponsible, the Green Party said today.

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John Key’s patronising comment that Kiwis shouldn’t be jealous if the rich get big tax cuts in Thursday’s Budget show his Government’s real attitude towards inequality, the Green Party said today.

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Stopping child abuse needs to be a top priority for the Police, the Government and society as a whole, said the Green Party today.

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The Green Party is calling for health warnings on mobile phone packaging in the light of findings from the Interphone Study which shows extended use of mobile phones may increase the risk of brain tumours.

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The Green Party is calling for the immediate phase out of methyl bromide, a highly toxic and ozone depleting gas, and use of recapture technology within one year, when it appears before the Environmental Risk Management Agency (ERMA) today.

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A multi-billion dollar pre-Budget proposal from the Green Party shows how the Government can help New Zealand’s poorest families and help everyone else in the process.

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AUCKLAND — Victory in the Auckland local body elections will be bittersweet, as the incoming Auckland Council will need to manage the massive costs of reorganisation, said the Green Party today.

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Victoria University of Wellington's (VUW) decision to stop up to 1500 students from attending university this year is because of pitifully-poor planning by the Key Government, the Green Party said today.

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The reinstitution of funding to support research and development is a step in the right direction but the new spend needs to prioritise research in green technology, the Green Party said today.

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The Key Government must act fast to obtain the information required for the Maritime New Zealand investigation into the alleged ramming of the Ady Gil.

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The Overseas Investment Office decision to investigate a Hong Kong based investment group that wants to buy a huge chunk of New Zealand’s dairy assets should be a wake-up call to the Key Government, said Green Party Co-Leader Dr Russel Norman.

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John Key’s Government is softening up New Zealand’s education system for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and privatisation, the Green Party said today.

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John Key’s Government seems intent on burying the revised Coastal Policy Statement that could protect New Zealand’s beaches from overdevelopment, the Green Party said today.

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The National Government’s failure to invest in Whanau Ora could doom it to failure, said the Green Party today.

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John Key’s Government has failed to protect householders from rising electricity prices, by voting against the Green Party’s Smart Meter (Consumer Choice) Bill tonight.

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Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce plans to get around the popular interest-free student loan policy by charging an extra fee to over 500,000 New Zealanders, the Green Party said today.

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Contaminated food is being sold in New Zealand despite testing by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) showing high residues of lead and other poisons on some imported food, the Green Party said today.

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John Key’s Government will allow third parties to spend as much as they like on election campaigns under electoral finance legislation to be debated today, the Green Party said.

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AUCKLAND — The Government needs to assist KiwiRail to bid successfully for the contract to build Auckland’s electric train units in order to future proof our economy, Green Party Co-Leader Metiria Turei said today.

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An urgent parliamentary inquiry is needed into the ethics and animal welfare issues of GE trials at AgResarch’s Ruakura facility, Green Party Animal Welfare spokesperson Sue Kedgley said today.

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AUCKLAND — Private management of Auckland’s water on a long term basis is effectively privatisation — it takes control out of Aucklanders hands and puts profits into private pockets, the Green Party said today.

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Minister of Justice Simon Power basically ruling out raising the tax on alcohol in any reform is disappointing, the Green Party said today.

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WELLINGTON CITY — The Green Party is protesting against the routine use of the highly toxic and potent ozone destroying gas, Methyl Bromide, in close proximity to a workers' break room and nearby apartments and office buildings at the Wellington Port.

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WELLINGTON CITY — The Government’s plan to privatise ACC will fundamentally undermine a world leading system that is fair for accident victims, said the Green Party today.

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Foreign Minister Murray McCully’s failed to reassure refugees from Burma this afternoon that officials representing Burma’s junta would not monitor the political activities of expatriate Burmese in New Zealand, said Green Party MP Keith Locke.

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Small businesses have been kept out of the loop on the Government’s decision to hike up GST, the Green Party said today.

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Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei couldn’t be happier that her Member’s Bill giving permanent protection to New Zealand’s wild places was pulled from the ballot on Earth Day, at a time when these places are under assault from mining.

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A report calling for legislation to guarantee regular independent reporting about the environment in New Zealand was welcomed by the Green Party today.

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Transport Minister Steven Joyce continues to make short-sighted decisions that will harm the New Zealand economy and hit Kiwis in the back pocket, said the Green Party today.

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National’s duplicity on water issues has been revealed by news that senior ministers were working to weaken Water Conservation Orders and advance irrigation in Canterbury, at the same time as telling the environment movement they were committed to collaborating on water management, the Green Party said today.

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New Zealand's use of the highly toxic and ozone depleting fumigant Methyl Bromide has increased by 500% over the past decade, despite a solemn pledge to reduce our use of this dangerous fumigant, the Green Party said today.

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New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully’s political interference with independent aid agencies could have disastrous consequences for those working on the front lines, Green Party MP Kennedy Graham said today.

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Sam Morgan’s helpful admission that he effectively pays no tax is the reason why the Key Government needs to roll out a comprehensive capital gains tax on Budget day, the Green Party said today.

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Government figures revealed today show that the taxpayer would be nearly $1.2 billion better off had Labour and National acted to keep New Zealand’s greenhouse emissions down at 1990 levels, the Green Party said today.

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The decision by the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) to approve genetically modified goats, sheep and cows at AgResearch’s Ruakura research facility is a decision Dr Strangelove would be proud of, said the Green Party’s GE spokesperson Sue Kedgley.

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Building private prisons will make New Zealand’s criminal justice system worse, said the Green Party today.

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CHRISTCHURCH — The Government should not use taxpayer funds to subsidise loss-making irrigation schemes in Canterbury, as these schemes will result in further destruction of the region’s rivers for the benefit of a few big corporations, said the Green Party today.

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Greenpeace today filed papers calling on the Japanese Government to re-open its investigation into the whaling industry’s corruption as the Japanese whaling factory ship, the Nisshin Maru, returned from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

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AUCKLAND — The restructuring of the Auckland Regional Public Health Service will mean increased costs and decreased health outcomes the Green Party said today.

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John Key must speak out strongly about New Zealand’s proud record of being nuclear-free and push the Obama administration to commit to a timetable to eliminate all nuclear weapons, said Green Party Co-Leader Dr Russel Norman today.

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The taxpayer is currently subsidising overweight trucks, said the Green Party today.

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Whanau Ora may help address inequality if the right funding and structures are in place, said the Green Party today.

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The Prime Minister or one of his staff must find and read a letter sent months ago regarding Agriculture Minister David Carter, said Green Party Co-Leader Dr Russel Norman.

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Health Minister Tony Ryall’s pressure on health budgets has meant that District Health Boards are spending fund for mental health elsewhere the Green Party said today.

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Pro-whaling countries have hiked up their whaling quotas in an attempt to skew the negotiations at the upcoming IWC meeting, and are manipulating New Zealand’s negotiating position, the Green Party said today.

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WEST COAST — The decision to grant resource consent for an 85m hydro dam on the Mokihinui River is the wrong one, the Green Party said today.

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The Key Government’s support of commercial whaling and terrible advocacy for detained New Zealand Skipper Pete Bethune smacks of kowtowing to Tokyo, Green Party Oceans spokesperson Gareth Hughes said today.

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Crime statistics show that John Key’s Government’s irrational, punitive and populist approach to the justice system is making things worse, said the Green Party today.

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The Green Party today announced a renewed focus on transport issues by appointing new spokespeople to several key transport-related portfolios.

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CANTERBURY — Agriculture Minister David Carter may have a conflict of interest in relation to the Bill that is being rushed through Parliament to sack the Canterbury Regional Council, the Green Party said today.

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Longer, heavier trucks will soon be on our roads meaning drivers should brace themselves for more road carnage, and more road damage, the Green Party said today.

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John Key’s threat to retain the current foreshore and seabed legislation if Māori don’t like his proposals is a patronising and inappropriate way to begin consultation, said the Green Party today.

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The Minister of Finance confirmed in the House today that he has no idea what the fiscal impacts of the Government’s Schedule 4 mining proposals will be, the Green Party said.

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CANTERBURY — John Key’s Government has taken extreme and unnecessary steps in its sacking of Environment Canterbury (ECan), the Green Party said today.

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The Government's welfare changes break the National Party's 2008 election promises, the Green Party said today.

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The Government is out of touch with reality when it blames public fury and international condemnation over its mining proposals on hysteria, the Green Party said today.

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HAMILTON — The Green Party is urging the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to support the passenger train service between Waikato and Auckland.

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The National Government has ruled out open cast mining in Paparoa National Park effectively meaning old growth forest will be sacrificed solely for the extraction of coal, the Green Party said today.

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The MMP referendum needs campaign spending caps, said the Green Party today.

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New Zealanders can expect open cast mining in Paparoa National Park despite the Government’s assurances, the Green Party said today.

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The Government has no evidence that its regime of benefit cuts will move anyone from a benefit into work, the Green Party said today.

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An article in The Economist magazine pointing out the lack of reality behind New Zealand's 100% Pure branding, shows that John Key's attacks on the environment are damaging our economy, the Green Party said today.

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It is fiscally reckless for the Government to fossick about with Schedule 4 mining without taking any advice on how this would affect tourism, our second largest export earner, the Green Party said today.

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The Green Party today honours the work and vision of Lady Raiha Mahuta of Ngati Manu and Ngati Rangi of Nga Puhi who passed away today.

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John Key’s Government is running scared from public opposition to mining, but won’t let go of the idea, the Green Party said today.

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CANTERBURY — The decision to withdraw effluent disposal applications for factory-style dairy farms in the Mackenzie Country is a victory for the green movement, but the Mackenzie is still not safe, the Green Party said today.

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The transformation of the External Assessments Bureau into the National Assessments Bureau should not have occurred without proper consultation, said Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson Keith Locke.

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TVNZ’s proposal to make savage cuts to its news and current affairs is an idiotic strategy worthy of the bosses of the Dilbert comic strip, said Green Party Broadcasting spokesperson Sue Kedgley.

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The latest Clean Streams Accord report shows that the time has come for the Government to step in to prevent further pollution of New Zealand’s rivers and streams by dairy farming, the Green Party said today.

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New Zealand must require food products containing palm oil to be labelled, in light of the latest report from Greenpeace, Green Party Food spokesperson Sue Kedgley said today.

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Green MP Keith Locke has greeted the acquittal of three men who slashed a dome at the Waihopai spy base as a victory for the peace movement.

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The Government could explore the legal opportunity in the Maritime Crimes Act 1999, to release New Zealander Pete Bethune, the Green Party said today.

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The New Zealand Government should denounce the arrest of whaling protester Pete Bethune and use all available diplomatic channels to bring him home, the Green Party said today.

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The Green Party is calling on the Government to remove the creation of Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) from the third Super City Bill.

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John Key’s attempt to shift the debate away from Schedule 4 land proves the unpopularity of the Government’s mining proposals, the Green Party said today.

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MAPUA — The Ministry of Health’s media around the Public Health Mapua Report is an attempt to whitewash a very serious situation, the Green Party said today.

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COROMANDEL — Plans to open up a protected area above Thames to mining threaten the security of the entire township, Green MP Catherine Delahunty said today.

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Plans to punch holes into Paparoa National Park for profit are a misguided assault on our clean green image, Kevin Hague, Green Party MP said today.

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New Zealand authorities must do everything they can to bring whale-defender Peter Bethune back home, the Green Party said today.

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Transport Minister Stephen Joyce should start looking at cut-backs to roading before attacking the elderly’s right to get about, said Green Party Aged Care spokesperson Sue Kedgley.

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The Green Party is warning that John Key’s Government will offer already protected land in exchange for the protected land it wants to mine.

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AUCKLAND — The third Super City Bill needs to be changed to remove the clauses which detail Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs), the Green Party said today.

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It is economically irresponsible to continue to invest in new roading infrastructure while fuel prices push new heights, said the Green Party today.

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New Green Party MP and Tertiary Education spokesperson Gareth Hughes today welcomed the launch of a national campaign to ‘Save Our Services’ from Roger Douglas’ voluntary students’ association membership Bill.

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Bus and trains fares are set to rise significantly in Auckland and Christchurch if the Government pushes ahead with their plans to raise a greater share of the costs from passengers, the Green Party said.

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The Government should take action to protect the most vulnerable road users — pedestrians and cyclists — by lowering urban speed limits, the Green Party said today.

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The Government has chosen to place the blame on young people rather than highlight the most important recommendation to come out of the Ministry of Transport’s Safer Journeys discussion paper, the Green Party said today.

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National appears to be going significantly further than it said it would prior to the 2008 election with new policy regarding probationary periods for workers, Green Party Industrial Relations spokesperson Keith Locke said today.

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The Auckland Transition Agency (ATA) is taking the “local” out of local government, the Green Party said today.

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The pig-headed Pork Industry Board continue to damage their own brand with the revelation they are fighting to keep pigs in sow crates, Green Party Animal Welfare spokesperson Sue Kedgley said today.

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News that the Government may scale down its plans to mine the conservation estate shows how public opposition is working, the Green Party said today.

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