Greens take steps to build movement to oppose Government
 
The Green Party has launched an initiative to draw together new constituencies of New Zealanders disillusioned with the direction the Government is taking. The initiative aims to stop negative policies being enacted before the 2014 election.
 
The I’m in – for the future campaign will be officially launched today during the state of the planet speech delivered by Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei in Auckland.
 
“The Green Party is committed to giving New Zealanders a political voice and the opportunity to be involved in politics outside of elections and without having to join a party,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei.
 
“This is about building a ground campaign of individual New Zealanders who represent the future that will be a real challenge to the old wealth and vested interests of the National Party.
 
“More and more Kiwis are out of work, can’t afford to buy a home, are unhappy with the state of the environment or their kids education. This Government is offering those people nothing and is out of step with their world view.
 
“For these New Zealanders the Government is not delivering the New Zealand they wish to inherit and they want to take action before the next election so things don’t get worse.
 
“National may have deep pockets, but we aim to fight that with people active on the ground.  
 
“The Government knows the 2014 election will be close, so it is digging in now to deliver as many hard-line policies as possible over the next two years.
 
“We can’t wait until 2014 to stop bad change occurring.
 
“Imagine if mining in National Parks had already begun and we had to wait till 2014 to stop it. New Zealanders have shown they have the power to stop the Government when they act together.”
 
People can sign up to the I’m in – for the future campaign via the Green Party website and will be given opportunities to get involved in campaigns this year, starting with finishing off signature collection on the Keep Our Assets petition. 
 
“Building a modern on the ground campaign movement is a logical next step in the development of the Green Party. This step is about building a campaign machine that more effectively puts our modern political thought into action,” said Mrs Turei.
 
“The Green Party will continue to develop good policy over the next two year, but as importantly we need to build a political machine that can both stop the Government and deliver the changes New Zealanders want.
 
“The 2014 election will offer a real opportunity to build a caring country that is focused on the future. We are teeing up for that now.”

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>