greens

Tertiary education – a “public good”

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:00 am, August 5th, 2014 - 14 comments

The Green Party is launching their “election priority for students” at Auckland University today from 2-3pm in the Auckland University Quad.  Russel Norman and Metiria Turei announced a student Green Card for off peak public transport. Updated

TVNZ’s white male syndrome

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:46 am, July 26th, 2014 - 86 comments

The focus of criticism of Mike Hosking as moderator for the TVNZ Leaders has been on his blatant pro-Nat bias. Hosking’s also has a track record of sexism and put-downs of some of the least powerful people in society.  Are only white males eligible for the job?

Tales from the left ground

Written By: karol - Date published: 6:34 pm, July 17th, 2014 - 26 comments

I was uplifted by seeing Team Carmel Sepuloni out campaigning in Henderson today.  Marama Davidson has been out on the ground in Otara.  The Internet-Mana Party have gone on a Road Trip.  There’s been an on-going left campaign in Ohariu…. what are the tales from the left, campaigning on the ground?!

NRT: Election 2014: A clear choice on clean rivers

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:37 am, July 15th, 2014 - 6 comments

The National government’s policy for economic growth has been simple: pump up dairy production, export more low-value milk powder, and keep low-value farmers as the “backbone of the economy”. To achieve this, they have dismantled the protections for and then defiled our fresh water on an industrial scale. The Greens want to reverse that and thereby ensure a long-term future for both our farming and peoples. Updated.

Polity: National dropped 6% in 2008, 2011 campaigns

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 4:18 pm, July 7th, 2014 - 8 comments

At Rob Salmond’s briefing to Labour’s Congress over the weekend, he made a point about National’s performance in recent campaigns, which was later picked up in David Cunliffe’s speech.

National has dropped six percent each time. For those interested, here is the data that sits beneath this claim.

It is no wonder that John Key is worried when 3 months out from an election they are sitting on less than 50%, with dead and dying coalition partners.

Provincial councils not happy over roads.

Written By: lprent - Date published: 1:38 pm, June 30th, 2014 - 38 comments

National has been sucking billions of dollars out of the provincial road maintenance budgets to throw into “Roads of Significance only to National” since 2009. In the latest round, maintenance costs for roads mostly used by trucks will drop to an average of 52%, with the small populations of ratepayers expected to subsidize trucking firms. Is it any wonder that they’re looking at National’s token gesture  over the weekend with disdain and anger. Meanwhile the urban centres aren’t getting the public transport they need.

Local Bodies: Pay Equity, Rod Donald Was Right in 2004

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:44 pm, June 28th, 2014 - 3 comments

In 2004 Green Party Co-Leader Rod Donald made a speech about the Public Finance (State Sector Management) Bill. Ten years later the State Sector is still not an equitable employer. Pakeha men have done considerably better over the ten years than any other demographic and this is despite the fact that for many years now females have been out performing males academically. Women still earn less relative to their qualifications than men. There is some hope that a future Green/Labour coalition may finally address the issue.

Tales from the underbelly of John Key’s NZ

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:59 am, June 25th, 2014 - 114 comments

The underbelly of John Key’s “rockstar economy” is mostly kept in the shadows, but every so often more tales emerge from the growing numbers of homeless. Vote left & vote the bastards out, this election!

Local Bodies: Politics, Sharks and Voter Apathy

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:00 am, June 23rd, 2014 - 10 comments

I had a conversation at our farmer’s market this morning about how my election campaign was going and the person I was speaking to had the view that all politicians don’t actually do much, apart from talking. I find that this thinking is actually fairly common, many people talk about the nonsense that goes on in Parliament and how all politicians are as bad as each other, “It doesn’t matter who you vote for, nothing really changes.”  I find this view really frustrating, but at the same time I can see why people may feel this way.

NRT: Climate change: A carbon tax in action

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:04 am, June 12th, 2014 - 5 comments

The Greens promised to scrap the gutted and ineffective ETS and replace it with a carbon tax. National immediately claimed that the sky would fall if we stopped subsidising polluters and allowing them to rort us. But where it is used it has done exactly what it was designed to do: reduce emissions while lowering taxes on ordinary people. National just likes polluters?

Paul Goldsmith and the bag of flour

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:34 pm, June 9th, 2014 - 34 comments

Yesterday TV3 on the Nation hosted a debate between the candidates for the Epsom seat. Unbelievably National’s Paul Goldsmith did not show up. Labour’s Michael Wood produced a bag of wholemeal flour and has promised to take this bag to every public event and to put it where Goldsmith should be every time he does not show up. I suspect we are going to see this particular bag of flour a lot …

The Green’s climate change policy

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:03 pm, June 2nd, 2014 - 129 comments

The Greens have released their climate change policy and are proposing that the ETS is scrapped and a carbon tax imposed in its place.  This is a proposal that in the past Labour has supported.  The ETS was only agreed to because New Zealand First would not agree to a carbon tax.  Second time lucky?

Green Party conference – focus on policies

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:00 am, May 31st, 2014 - 74 comments

It’s the Green Party Conference this weekend.  Metiria Turei was on RNZ yesterday morning, talking about how the main focus for the conference will be on policies.  Speeches will be streamed live online from the conference today & tomorrow. Update: summary of today’s speeches. Healthy Teens policy.

The smoke & mirrors of the surveillance-military-economic-complex

Written By: karol - Date published: 2:22 pm, May 21st, 2014 - 29 comments

There are a range of issues, which are part of a GCSB-intelligence-surveillance-military-complex. Some significant elements seem to be posing as diversions from other parts of the complex, and the way all parts hang together. What will he offer Obama to advance NZ’s position in the TPPA?