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New energy strategy a missed opportunity
You’d be forgiven for not noticing that the Government published a new draft energy strategy this week. It’s basically the same as the old energy strategy, which they published in 2011, but with one...
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Well, THAT happened: Gareth Hughes reflects on 2016
The end of the year! 2016 has been…a mixed bag – Trump-ism, losing Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen et al, and the creeping malaise of a tired government. Green Party MP Gareth Hughes shares his year. My...
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Report pours cold water on govt renewable energy initiative
The Government’s National Policy Statement on Renewable Energy Generation has been slammed as ineffective by an official report. Ten years ago, the previous Government began work on developing a...
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Desperate marketing from the fossil fuel industry
The oil and gas industry has launched a marketing campaign in New Zealand to try and convince people how great its dirty fossil fuel products are. I’m not surprised. The fossil fuel industry is no...
View ArticleWalking the walk on the Living Wage
1200 staff from the University of Auckland are stopping work today – calling on the Vice-Chancellor to offer union members a fair and equitable increase in pay. We’re really supportive of this effort...
View ArticleNational killed the radio station
The Buggles song ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ probably isn’t the best comparison but National’s anti-public broadcasting ideology is slowing starving our only public broadcaster, RNZ. As it once again...
View ArticleSolar saves money for more important things
Solar is a great, clean way to produce power. This morning I was at an inspirational event, where the community had raised money to install panels on the Wellington Cancer Society’s patient’s house....
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Journalism Matters: Interesting the public in the public interest
Last week I launched two policies to support Kiwi journalism because as Bill Moyers put it, “the quality of democracy and the quality of journalism is deeply intertwined.” Journalism matters because...
View ArticleWe’re winning on fossil fuel divestment
The climate movement took a big step forward this week when our largest council voted to divest from fossil fuel investments. Auckland Council has now joined Dunedin, Melbourne, San Francisco,...
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A different type of game-playing at Parliament
This week, MPs were playing games at Parliament. What’s new, you ask? Not the usual, name-calling and point-scoring political games. Instead, they played Kiwi-designed video games like Grow and Golden...
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Empowering New Zealand
Yesterday the Green Party launched a plan for cheaper power bills, cleaner electricity generation, and a smarter electricity network. It’s all about empowering consumers. Energy has always been...
View ArticleGreen Party will repeal solar tax
It’s ridiculous for an electricity distribution monopoly to apply a charge on solar panels but worse than that, it’s harming our effort to tackle climate change. Hawke’s Bay lines company Unison last...
View ArticleKeep it Public
The Green Party strongly supports the Tertiary Education Unions call to #KeepitPublic. Keep what public? Our quality tertiary education system that National is trying to open up to more private...
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Pouring Government energy into avoiding energy leadership
Energy Minister Judith Collins yesterday released the new New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy and it’s very disappointing. It’s unambitious, continues business as usual & won’t...
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When gaming becomes gambling
I was really looking forward to playing the new Star Wars: Battlefront 2 game. It looked pretty cool and I liked the first instalment. But when I checked out the reviews online, nobody was talking...
View ArticleU.S. Federal Communications Commissars say ‘neyt’ to net neutrality.
The Internet has faced many threats. Dictatorships building cyber walls, a hostile takeover bid by the International Telecommunications Union and states and companies trying to block websites, but last...
View ArticlePassing a motion and other Parliamentary jargon
If you were asked “that the question is that the question be now put”, or “that the part stand apart”, would you understand? If you heard someone “seek leave to pass a motion” would you crack-up...
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Making every house a warm, dry home
Every New Zealander should have a warm, dry, well-ventilated home. This is something the Greens have worked hard for, for decades – and in Government with Labour and New Zealand First, we’re going to...
View ArticleHave your say: Country of Origin Food Labelling
People want and deserve to know where their food comes from. That is the intention behind my member’s bill (originally Steffan Browning’s) the Consumers’ Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill...
View ArticleLet’s not be chicken when it comes to animal welfare
New animal welfare regulations will be coming into effect in October. They are a step in the right direction but it’s more of a clean-up of the rules than an overhaul. There’s now guidelines regulating...
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