Parliament Archive

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  Master banking contract unearthed - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  New Zealand’s biggest banking contract has been a tightly-guarded secret for 21 years. The Government first signed the master banking contract with Westpac back in 1989 when David Lange was Prime Minister. There has never been a single competitive tender since. The Green Party was the first to highlight this cosy banking relationship last year [...] read more
  June 23, 2011 4:17 pm - 32 Comments
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  Podcast: The Green Plan for our SOEs - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Green Co-leader, Dr Russel Norman, last week outlined his plan for a sustainable and prosperous economy at the Party’s AGM. One of his most talked-about initiatives was how our state-owned enterprises could be leveraged to lift our country’s economic performance in partnership with the private sector. He proposed this as an alternative to John Key’s [...] read more
  June 20, 2011 11:31 am - 13 Comments
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  Many questions, but no answers on Telecommunications bill - by frog

  
  
  
  Green MP Gareth Hughes had some questions for Communications Minister Steven Joyce in Parliament yesterday: Here was Steven Joyce’s reply: Nothing to say here. Nothing to say here. Nothing to say here. Nothing to say here. So Gareth tried again: Steven Joyce still wouldn’t take a call to respond. As Toad, one of our regular [...] read more
  June 17, 2011 6:46 pm - 10 Comments
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  NZ responds to internet termination at UN, but did we really mean it? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  New Zealand is one of 40 countries to endorse a speech by Sweden at the United Nations Human Rights Council criticising internet termination. Interestingly the United Kingdom and France, two other nations who have established “three strike” laws similar to ours, refused to sign. This is a response to the UN Special Rapporteur on the [...] read more
  June 15, 2011 2:02 pm - 50 Comments
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  Budget 2011: Gareth Hughes’ speech on transport - by frog

  
  
  
  Kia ora, Mr Assistant Speaker. It is a privilege to take a call in this Budget debate, and I intend to focus on transport issues. When it comes to transport, this Government, under Steven Joyce as transport Minister, is simply on the wrong track. This Government is creating monuments in concrete and asphalt to 1950s-style [...] read more
  June 10, 2011 4:02 pm - 11 Comments
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  “Business attire” - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  Intrigued by the Speaker’s ruling today that all women MPs should wear “business attire”, I sought guidance from Google. It appears that directing women to wear “business attire” is code for telling women to dress like men. So what I have deduced from the Speaker’s ruling is it is okay for women MPs to wear [...] read more
  June 7, 2011 5:42 pm - 31 Comments
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  AGM update: political position, Kiwibank, tackling child poverty - by frog

  
  
  
  Political positioning, a call to boost Kiwibank, a plan to cut child poverty in NZ plus candidate and campaign training. The Green Party’s AGM in Auckland has had it all over the long weekend. Political positioning was confirmed yesterday and summed up by Metiria thus: We’re more likely to support Labour on confidence and supply, [...] read more
  June 6, 2011 12:00 pm - 99 Comments
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  g.blog’s resurrection, and that of Bob Clarkson - by frog

  
  
  
  Many current frogblog readers probably won’t have heard of g.blog. g.blog was set up before the 2008 election, but has been in hibernation for a while.  It is a blog where any Green Party member can post. If you are a Green member,  all you need to do to get posting rights at g.blog is [...] read more
  June 1, 2011 6:19 pm - 6 Comments
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  COGS grant scheme cut - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  One of the worst aspects of the “death by a thousand cuts” Budget is the cut to the Community Organisations Grants Scheme (COGS). read more
  May 27, 2011 12:14 pm - 5 Comments
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  Podcast: why you should care about the file sharing law - by frog

  
  
  
  In this podcast, Green Party ICT Spokesperson Gareth Hughes talks about the new file sharing law – what it means, why non-nerds should be worried about it too, and what can be done from here. read more
  May 27, 2011 11:56 am - 3 Comments
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  File-sharing politics online - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Last night I hosted a very successful online public meeting to talk about the new online copyright changes. It was great to use web streaming technology to host a meeting that meant people from across the country could tune in, but most importantly meant people could make comments, discuss and ask questions online in real [...] read more
  May 26, 2011 5:28 pm - 6 Comments
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  Play the ‘Keep the coal in the hole’ Tetris game - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Today I launched a Member’s Bill and a tetris-like computer game as a part of our campaign to keep dirty lignite coal in the hole. Lignite is bad for the environment and our economy. We should be pursuing modern renewable energy solutions, not 19th Century coal. First the serious part. The Climate Change Response (Low [...] read more
  May 26, 2011 2:26 pm - 3 Comments
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  Dear John letter from Dr James Hansen - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Before James Hansen, noted climate scientist, left New Zealand he found the time to pen this letter to the Prime Minister. I think it’s a great read and I encourage you to send your own letter to John Key urging for greater climate action from New Zealand.   Rt Hon John Key Prime Minister of [...] read more
  May 26, 2011 10:08 am - 2 Comments
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  Online public meeting on new file sharing law - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  This Wednesday at 7pm I’m hosting an online public meeting, streaming live from here, with Kiwi tech experts to discuss the recently introduced Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) legislation and what it means for the public. We’ll be discussing this controversial legislation which was passed under urgency, looking at how the legislation will affect users, how [...] read more
  May 24, 2011 8:48 am - 2 Comments
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  Live blogging the budget speech from 2pm today! - by frog

  
  
  
  Watch this space You will have the opportunity to participate in the commentary! Budget 2011 The speech itself will be broadcast on Parliament TV, which you can watch online as we chat here. read more
  May 19, 2011 9:48 am - 20 Comments
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  Podcast: Green Budget 2011 - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Tomorrow is Budget day…and it’s looking rather bleak. John Key has signalled that this Budget is, and can only be about reining in spending through budget cuts. Lots of them. Some of them severe. But is this the only way forward from here? The Green Party have put together a package of alternative Budget initiatives [...] read more
  May 18, 2011 7:13 pm - 1 Comment
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  Stop the lignite-mare - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Lignite is at the New Zealand coal-face of the environmental crisis. It is well and truly on the agenda with top climate scientist James Hansen, currently touring NZ, urging us to keep the coal in the hole. State-owned Enterprise Solid Energy and the L&M Group are currently either planning or at the permitting stage (behind [...] read more
  May 16, 2011 11:13 am - 11 Comments
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  Rail petition makes tracks to Beehive - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  As a Gissy-boy and rail-fan I passionately believe that we can’t afford to lose this community asset and we need to stand up to protect it. Kiwirail has announced the lines possible closure in 2012 if further customers can’t be found. The Government has given Kiwirail ten years to ‘turn itself around,’ but Kiwirail is [...] read more
  May 5, 2011 5:09 pm - 5 Comments
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  The hypocrisy of Brash’s “one law for all” - by frog

  
  
  
  Failed National Party Leader Don Brash has been banging on a lot again about “one law for all” since his hostile takeover of the ACT Party last week. So I thought I’d take a look at Brash’s track record when he was an MP: 9 December 2004: Brash voted against the Civil Union Bill which [...] read more
  May 5, 2011 11:14 am - 19 Comments
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  Green MPs and US ‘influence’ - by frog

  
  
  
  It was news on the Stuff website today that Russel Norman took a State Department-sponsored trip to the USA in 2009 and that our MPs have contact with the US embassy in NZ. Apparently it was news because you can find a record of it in US embassy cables available on Wikileaks. Never mind that [...] read more
  May 2, 2011 6:14 pm - 27 Comments