Green Party Catch Up w/ MP Ricardo Menéndez March, 11 March, 2026

Recently, the government legalised their practice of clawing back welfare money from people who receive an ACC claim, leaving thousands of people in debt to the Ministry of Social Development, (MSD).

Last week, we also saw mixed messaging from the government over Iran. One such case saw the Prime Minister claim that those affected by the crisis would receive automatic visa coverage, contradicting his immigration minister.

Finally, a review of the Clean Vehicle Standard could be the final nail in the coffin of the previous Labour government's policies to build an electric vehicle market in New Zealand if the current government chooses to repeal the policy that fines importers who do not also bring in a high enough ratio of electric vehicles.

For our weekly catchup w/ the Green Party, Manny spoke with MP Ricardo Menéndez March about the Green Party’s response to the government's messaging on Iran, and the review of the clean vehicle standard, but began by talking about the legislation permitting the clawing back of welfare support from ACC recipients.