Cost of living, climate court case, and the COVID inquiry w/ the Green Party's Ricardo Menéndez March: 18th March, 2026

As the US and Israel’s war on Iran continues, Iran has continued to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, blocking a fifth of the world’s oil trade. As oil supplies shrink and demand increases, prices have jumped across the world, including in Aotearoa. With fuel prices rising amidst a cost of living crisis, questions have been raised as to what the government has done to reduce prices for New Zealanders. 

This week has seen two groups, Lawyers for Climate Action and the Environmental Law Initiative taking the government to court over what they claim is an unlawful policy for tackling climate change. As the government continues to promote tree planting as a way to offset emissions, opponents say we should instead focus on emissions reductions.

Finally, this past week has also seen the report released from the second phase of the government’s COVID 19 inquiry, to strong responses from most of parliament. While the report’s findings were mostly balanced, with a mix of praise and critique for the government of the time, many politicians have seized it as fuel for their party’s agenda on the COVID response. 

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez March, News Director Castor asked him about each of these issues, beginning with cost of living.