31 July 2016

Green candidates sign VUWSA student-friendly city pledge

Green Party local government candidates in Wellington and the Hutt Valley are pledging to make Wellington a student-friendly city by working to deliver 50 percent student bus fare discounts and a warrant of fitness for rental homes.

VUWSA is asking local government candidates to pledge to introduce a warrant of fitness system for rental properties and 50 percent student bus fare discounts, in line with the current discounts for secondary school students. The Green Party has consistently worked for both issues for a number of years at a local and national level.

“It’s absurd that student bus fares in Wellington are the highest in New Zealand, and Green councillors will continue to work to change that,” said Greater Wellington Regional Council candidate Sue Kedgley.

“Discount student fares and better student accommodation are part of our strategy to promote Wellington as a student-friendly city and acknowledge the $2 billion contribution students make to our economy each year,” Cr Kedgley said.

“Last time the Regional Council considered a Green Party proposal for student bus discounts it lost by just one vote, so this year we have a real chance to make sure more student-friendly councillors get elected,” said Greater Wellington Regional Council Candidate Paul Bruce.

“Students travelling into the city from the Hutt Valley are being fleeced,” said Hutt City Council candidate Lisa Bridson.

“As housing costs rise more students choose to live at home while studying, so fair fares between the Hutt and Wellington City are essential to make studying affordable for our young people.

"Those students who do leave home need warm, dry flats because it’s hard to study well when you are sick,” Cr Bridson said.

“Everyone deserves a warm, dry home so a warrant of fitness for rental homes is the right thing to do,” said Wellington City Council candidate Iona Pannett.

“We’ve all heard horror stories about cold, damp, dangerous flats and we’ll never attract the country’s top talent to Wellington if we can’t offer them a decent place to live.

“The Greens are focussed on the future and that means investing wisely in our young people today, because it’ll pay off for Wellington’s future,” Ms Pannett said.

Green Party candidates are: Sue Kedgley and Paul Bruce for Wellington Regional Council; Lisa Bridson for Hutt City Council and Hutt District Health Board; David Lee, Iona Pannett, and Sarah Free for Wellington City Council; and Sue Teng for Capital and Coast District Health Board.

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