Green Party Archive

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  Thanks for voting Green! - by frog

  
  
  
  It was amazing to watch the votes coming in from around the country on Election Day. We received 10.62% of the vote, which means that we can bring at least 13 Green MPs into Parliament. So a big welcome to Eugenie Sage, Jan Logie, Steffan Browning, Denise Roche, Holly Walker, and Julie Anne Genter. There [...] read more
  November 28, 2011 11:35 am - 76 Comments
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  Bringing Parliament to the people - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Thanks to social media, it’s much easier for people in the community to engage with their politicians. Instead of holding their hands up in long town hall meetings, they can just log in to Facebook or Twitter and tap a few keys. This is why we at the Green Party take social media seriously. It’s [...] read more
  November 25, 2011 12:46 pm - 4 Comments
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  Dairy compliance message is failing - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Bay of Plenty Regional Council recently expressed their concern that some dairy operators are still not getting the message that it’s not okay to pollute NZ’s waterways with effluent. There have been eight prosecutions in the past year in the Bay of Plenty regarding breaches of dairy effluent disposal rules and conditions. This is eight [...] read more
  November 14, 2011 1:10 pm - 40 Comments
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  Open letter to Auckland councillors over the development of Te Arai beach - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Posted below is an letter to the mayor and councillors of Auckland from concerned Aucklander John Shaw. John is a surfer who’s passionate about the stunning beauty of Te Arai beach north of Auckland and doesn’t want to see its natural character destroyed by development  like so many of our other pristine beaches.   Dear [...] read more
  October 21, 2011 5:01 pm - 2 Comments
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  Bay of Plenty Regional Council ready to ask the hard questions - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  I am encouraged to read today the Bay of Plenty regional council’s policy position on management and land use change in the Lake Rotorua catchment, which includes the recognition that land management changes alone will not be enough to achieve water quality targets. Lake Rotorua is seriously degraded and a huge reduction in the amount [...] read more
  October 21, 2011 4:14 pm - No Comments
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  A warning from the OECD on NZ’s deteriorating water quality - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  I was a key note speaker on Tuesday at the DIPCON conference in on Diffuse Pollution and Eutrophication in Rotorua. Tomorrow Dr Kevin Parris of the Trade and Agriculture Directorate of the OECD in Paris will be presenting the findings of a recent OECD report highlighting New Zealand’s deteriorating water quality. His findings across OECD [...] read more
  September 22, 2011 4:39 pm - 2 Comments
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  Canterbury water management in no-mans-land - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  I recently was the guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting of the Water Rights Trust (WRT) in Christchurch, where outgoing Chairman Murray Rodgers gave an impassioned speech about the poor state of water resources and water governance in Canterbury. Murray remains as a trustee of the WRT and is also a member of the [...] read more
  August 29, 2011 3:55 pm - 18 Comments
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  Mangatainoka River – April 3, 2011 - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  The Mangatainoka River has been made famous by Tui with their beer ads – scantily dressed women supposedly frolicking in the river near the brewery. Well, it’s true that the Mangatainoka is near the brewery, but it is heavily polluted so I don’t reckon they frolicked in the river itself. As recently as January 18, [...] read more
  April 13, 2011 2:35 pm - 5 Comments
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  Courts and Criminal Matters - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  The aim of the Courts and Criminal Matters Bill is to enhance the courts’ powers and processes for the collection of fines and other monetary penalties, and civil debt. There is more and more evidence that we are an increasingly unequal society and that inequality negatively affects everyone. We support a fair and robust system [...] read more
  April 7, 2011 10:06 am - 2 Comments
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  Roger Awards - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Last night Green MP Keith Locke and myself attended the Roger Awards, an annual event which “celebrates” the worst multinationals affecting Aotearoa/New Zealand. Chief Judge of the 2010 awards Christine Dann  and her team of supporting judges awarded first place to the utterly deserving Warners Bros for their interference in both the political system and [...] read more
  April 5, 2011 3:42 pm - 4 Comments
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  Greeting the Christchurch Office, Nervously - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  It is one of life’s ironies to pillage your own office. But that is what the gods of wrath have done to us. I trust we do not do time for our discretionary executive action yesterday. read more
  March 18, 2011 3:20 pm - 2 Comments
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  Something stinks in iconic Southland lagoon - by frog

  
  
  
  Recent monitoring of the Waituna Lagoon in Southland has revealed high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments, largely attributed to dairy farming in the region. Environment Southland Chairwoman Ali Timms said it was at high risk of irreversible damage because of intensification of land use in the surrounding catchment, and that steps might be [...] read more
  February 16, 2011 12:36 pm - 2 Comments
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  “Greens’ vigilance on Gillard merits praise” – John Armstrong - by frog

  
  
  
  Here’s John Armstrong’s view on Julia Gillard addressing Parliament, as published in the NZ Herald this morning. Greens’ vigilance on Gillard merits praise – John Armstrong The Greens have got some unwarranted stick for blocking Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard from addressing Parliament while it is officially in session. They were right to do so. [...] read more
  February 15, 2011 10:17 am - 8 Comments
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  Prime Minister Gillard very welcome - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  The visit by Australian PM, Julia Gillard, to New Zealand this week has caused some interest and intrigue.  Prime Minister John Key has cited opposition to her speaking in Parliament – and identified the Green Party as opposing. The background to this is the following. Her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, was visiting last year and had [...] read more
  February 14, 2011 5:33 pm - 50 Comments
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  “The Morning Star” of West Papua - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Today, December 1 is the day that people from all over the world show solidarity with West Papua. The much loved and contested symbol of West Papuan rights is the flag “The Morning Star” which will be flown in many places today. Keith Locke was at the flag raising in Auckland, while Russel Norman represented us [...] read more
  December 1, 2010 1:41 pm - 2 Comments
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  Another charge from NZTA - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Just came across an interesting little example of this government’s ‘penny wise, pound foolish’ philosophy. Anyone thinking about buying a vehicle has up to now had a handy free service available through www.carjam.co.nz  The site apparently gets about 1.5 million hits a month, so is obviously providing a service that is very much in demand. [...] read more
  November 17, 2010 1:08 pm - 8 Comments
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  ‘Rethinking’ – solutions to mass imprisonment. - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  Last night I spent Parliament’s dinner break at the launch of a new website, an initiative of the Robson Hanan Trust led by Kim Workman. To quote from the introduction on the site: “Rethinking Crime and Punishment” is a strategic initiative to increase public debate about the use of prison and alternative forms of punishment in [...] read more
  November 10, 2010 5:41 pm - 42 Comments
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  Protecting the urban forest - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  On Sunday I made a brief presentation to the AGM of the Tree Council, appropriately in the very pleasant and leafy surroundings of the education centre at Cornwall Park, Auckland.  The council has a lot on its plate in the coming year, not least of all because general tree protection rules that were typically put [...] read more
  November 1, 2010 4:02 pm - 13 Comments
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  Wasted opportunities - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  A few sharp-eyed people may have noticed that E-Day is coming around again this year, on November 6th.  The event has certainly come in under the radar, having been announced scarcely four weeks out from the event date, whereas in past years there has been quite a long lead in time that has enabled organisers [...] read more
  October 27, 2010 10:54 am - 7 Comments
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  Ugly, inaccurate and incomprehensible - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  This unidentified billboard has appeared in Cable Street: ugly, inaccurate and incomprehensible.  Perhaps that’s why no one was prepared to put their name to it.  I can only guess that it is has been paid for by the First-Past-the-Post lobby that is pushing to get rid of proportional electoral systems. It seems to lament the [...] read more
  October 19, 2010 3:35 pm - 28 Comments