• Catherine Delahunty

    Tui Mine – Healing the Maunga - by Catherine Delahunty



    The Tui Mine was abandoned in the 1970s on the side of Mt Te Aroha. It was a small copper and gold mine which left an ugly legacy. The mine’s toxic waste dump was unstable and cracking and the water downstream of the underground mine workings were poisoned by the heavy metals leaching from the [...] read more
    May 9, 2013 4:00 pm - 1 Comment
  • Holly Walker

    Topics announced for Youth Parliament 2013 - by Holly Walker



    It’s Youth Week, with events happening around the country celebrating all that it is to be young and encouraging young people to live like legends. As a part of Youth Week, Youth Affairs Minister Nikki Kaye has today made an announcement on this year’s Youth Parliament, including releasing the issues that the Youth MPs will [...] read more
    May 9, 2013 3:43 pm - No Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    Police murder citizens preparing to protest in West Papua - by Catherine Delahunty



    Last week West Papuans suffered more abuse and injustice from Indonesian Police personnel. The 1st of May marked 50 years of West Papua suffering under Indonesian rule. Citizens throughout Papua prepared to commemorate this day, however, events that occurred just prior to this date, typify and  highlight the injustices that Papuans have suffered over the [...] read more
    May 9, 2013 12:16 pm - No Comments
  • Denise Roche

    Pre-pay for recycling: it’s the way forward - by Denise Roche



    Today the Government is crowing about their TV Takeback scheme. While I am grateful that TVs are being diverted from landfill, this solution is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.  The programme collected 23,000 televisions in the Hawke’s Bay and the West Coast, which cost the taxpayer over half a million dollars. This [...] read more
    May 8, 2013 6:01 pm - 10 Comments
  • Denise Roche

    Kudos to the Warehouse for pay move - by Denise Roche



    It’s great news that the Warehouse is making it a policy to lift wages. This move is partly inspired by the Living Wage campaign. The Green Party has been actively supporting this campaign that would see big employers sign up to pay a living wage.  This is the wage that would allow their employees to [...] read more
    May 8, 2013 3:44 pm - 6 Comments
  • Kennedy Graham

    “What Does It Take” … to extract climate change action from this Government? - by Kennedy Graham



    Yesterday the World Met. Organization released its annual ‘Statement on the Status of the Global Climate’. The report, which investigates the major climate & weather events of the past year, found 2012 to be the 27th consecutive year with above average global temperatures. Global average temperature in 2012 was 0.45⁰C warmer than the 1961-90 long-term [...] read more
    May 6, 2013 4:57 pm - 130 Comments
  • frog

    General debate, May 5, 2013 - by frog



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    May 5, 2013 7:31 am - 178 Comments
  • Kennedy Graham

    Green activist reportedly killed in Pakistan - by Kennedy Graham



    In some parts of the world, the task of standing up for Green values can be dangerous. It was with the deepest sadness that I was advised about the tragic killing of a Green party activist in Pakistan. According to news reports from the Global Greens, a member of the Pakistan Green Party, Mr Shahnawaz [...] read more
    May 3, 2013 9:27 am - 4 Comments
  • Steffan Browning

    GE not our farming future - by Steffan Browning



    The Government’s National Science Challenges include an arrogant intention to spend taxpayers’ money on swaying community opposition towards support for genetic engineering. While the jargon loaded Challenge documents are a struggle to read, the message by pro-GE scientists in the primary production section is clear. For the primary production challenge, first on the list under [...] read more
    May 2, 2013 4:36 pm - 54 Comments
  • Steffan Browning

    We need to address bee health - by Steffan Browning



    The European Commission has just announced exciting plans to restrict the use of bee harming pesticides across Europe. We need to get the health of bees on the agenda of our Government so that we can protect these vital little insects. I wrote to the Chair of the Primary Production Select Committee yesterday to get [...] read more
    May 2, 2013 3:58 pm - 9 Comments
  • Denise Roche

    Bad employers get May day bonus - by Denise Roche



    It is ironic that the legislation re-introducing youth rates into New Zealand comes into play on a day normally associated internationally with workers celebrating their struggle for  better conditions. From today mean spirited employers have an opportunity to push down rates for young workers. One such employer actively cheerleading the re-introduction of youth rates is [...] read more
    May 1, 2013 2:08 pm - 24 Comments
  • frog

    Introducing our Green Youth MPs - by frog



    Danielle Lusk – Metiria Turei Age: 16 School: Buller High School, Westport Tell us a bit about yourself: Hello there, I’m a keen adventuress, I love the outdoors, it’s pretty mean. It is my intention to become a white water kayaking guide, because who wouldn’t want to work, live and breathe the outdoors!  My main [...] read more
    May 1, 2013 9:02 am - 119 Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    Sports missing from Race Relations Commissioner criteria - by Catherine Delahunty



    Just checked the Human Rights Act 1993 to see if being a celebrity sportsperson is a criterion for the Race Relations Commissioner, and you know what? It isn’t. The criteria in fact are high falutin requirements that the minister making the appointment needs to consider. They include that the person: a)    Has an understanding of [...] read more
    April 30, 2013 1:45 pm - 94 Comments
  • Denise Roche

    Fight for the living and mourn for the dead: Workers Memorial Day - by Denise Roche



    Sunday 28th April was Workers Memorial Day and in Auckland I attended the event that was organised by the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions to remember the people in the last year that went to work and never came back. This year’s event highlighted the appalling health and safety record of the forestry industry. [...] read more
    April 29, 2013 6:26 pm - 4 Comments
  • Holly Walker

    New bill to reinstate postgraduate allowances - by Holly Walker



    The Government’s decision in last year’s Budget to remove eligibility for student allowances from postgraduate students has to be one of its most short-sighted decisions ever. For that reason I’ve drafted a member’s bill that would reinstate eligibility for student allowances to postgraduate students. read more
    April 29, 2013 1:17 pm - 16 Comments
  • Eugenie Sage

    Hawke’s Bay irrigation saga gets murkier - by Eugenie Sage



    The inherent problems with one arm of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) promoting the mega Ruataniwha dam and irrigation scheme while another arm attempts to act like a regional council, came to the fore in a tangled council meeting last week. I attended a presentation by newly established Transparent Hawke’s Bay at the start [...] read more
    April 28, 2013 11:53 am - 1 Comment
  • frog

    General debate, April 28, 2013 - by frog



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    April 28, 2013 8:24 am - 112 Comments
  • Denise Roche

    Waste fund flowing offshore - by Denise Roche



    On Wednesday, the government announced it will use the Waste Minimisation Fund to finance a programme to deal with a type of hazardous waste from material that was banned from use in New Zealand nearly 10 years ago. While we absolutely agree with cleaning up hazardous waste we do have some concerns about who does [...] read more
    April 26, 2013 2:36 pm - 14 Comments
  • Steffan Browning

    Toxic agenda bad for farmers - by Steffan Browning



    I recently had an opinion piece published in the Straight Furrow newspaper. Here is what I wrote. (note: corrected from earlier post) Toxic agenda erodes green brand Our clean green brand is something we need to fiercely protect, but this Government is effectively eroding it instead. National has gutted the Emissions Trading Scheme and is [...] read more
    April 26, 2013 2:23 pm - 2 Comments
  • Catherine Delahunty

    Te Kotahitanga – a successful programme is cut - by Catherine Delahunty



    For more than ten years a programme has been developed, implemented and monitored that has a proven ability to help teachers work effectively with all students. Te Kotahitanga was developed by Russel Bishop, Mere Berryman and a team at Waikato University to help teachers become culturally responsive and inclusive. More than 40 schools have used [...] read more
    April 26, 2013 9:46 am - 2 Comments
  • frog

    Al Morrison’s replacement - by frog



    You might have spotted that DOC Director General Al Morrison is moving on. After overseeing job cuts and setting DOC on the track to commercialisation, he is moving on to fill the newly created role Deputy Commissioner Corporate Centre at the State Services Commission. There he will be overseeing the Government’s Better Private Public Services, [...] read more
    April 24, 2013 4:22 pm - 5 Comments
  • Mojo Mathers

    Open letter to McDonald’s - by Mojo Mathers



    Last week McDonalds United Kingdom announced they are going to source 100 percent of their pork products from Freedom Food’s producers certified by the RSPCA, so I sent this letter to the Managing Director of McDonald’s New Zealand today. We are looking forward to McDonald’s New Zealand making similar commitment here and will keep you [...] read more
    April 23, 2013 9:58 am - 13 Comments
  • Jan Logie

    Pacific Parliamentary Forum - by Jan Logie



    Parliament has been blessed with the presence of political leaders from all around the Pacific for the last few days. We had some great debates and discussions. I just want to gloat about one – the motion to liberalise trade was voted down in favour of an amended motion in support of sustainable development. The [...] read more
    April 22, 2013 12:23 pm - 2 Comments
  • Jan Logie

    Julian Savea and his rugby management - by Jan Logie



    I’m not going to say much. I feel for Julian’s partner and don’t want to make this any more of a public event than what it is now. I do want to challenge his managers though. According to the story on Radio NZ this morning, his managers defended their decision to let Julian play by [...] read more
    April 22, 2013 12:22 pm - 3 Comments
  • Jan Logie

    Blinkering the watchdogs - by Jan Logie



    The Government’s decision to freeze funding for the Human Rights Commission (HRC) until 2020 has resulted in a proposal to cut 15% of staff at the Commission. New Zealand has very few checks on the power of Government and minimal tools to fight discrimination. By the response to the marriage equality bill and widespread public [...] read more
    April 22, 2013 10:50 am - 6 Comments
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