11 February 2013

Greens back smart green economic direction

The Green Party today welcomed Greenpeace’s report that sets out a smart new economic direction for New Zealand – one that creates good jobs while protecting the environment.

Greenpeace today released its report entitled The Future is Here: New Jobs, New Prosperity and a New Clean Economy detailing an economic plan that shifts New Zealand’s energy production to be 100% renewable by 2025, protects New Zealand’s ‘100% Pure’ brand, and grows exports and jobs in clean energy.

“Greenpeace has set out a credible plan to grow jobs while protecting our environment,” said Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman.

“This is a smart, win-win economic plan that our Government should be supporting.

“Since taking office, the National Government has unfortunately chosen to further exploit the environment for the sake of the economy leaving both poorer.”

The Greenpeace report echoes the findings of the Pure Advantage Group, the Government’s own Green Growth Advisory Group, and the Green Party’s Green Jobs economic strategy that all highlight the huge growth potential of the green economy in New Zealand.

“There’s a growing consensus about the best way forward to create jobs while protecting the environment,” Dr Norman said.

“New Zealand now needs a ‘whole of country’ approach to transition our economy to a more sustainable footing, and a Green Government would set in place the right drivers to help kick-start this transition.

“We support the 100% renewable target (but by 2030), putting a price on carbon, smarter environmental regulation, and the retention of our state-owned power companies, like Mighty River Power, to drive the development of geothermal technology that we can then export to the rest of the world.

“Employment data from overseas shows that the greener the industry, the faster growing and more jobs rich it is.

“Green economic opportunities are one way the Government can turn around record unemployment numbers while simultaneously moving our economy onto a more sustainable footing.”
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© Scoop Media

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>>