Weekly Catchup w/ The Green Party's Ricardo Menendez-March: 24 September, 2025

Just yesterday, workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden revealed that the government had agreed to replace the Holidays Act 2003 with a new Employment Leave Act.

Under the overhaul, entitlements for annual leave, sick leave, and bereavement leave would accrue in hours from day one of employment, rather than being tied to weeks after certain periods.

Last week, Environment Canterbury (ECan) voted 9–7 to declare a “nitrate emergency,” a response to mounting evidence of groundwater contamination in the region.

And more than 5,300 people have signed the Green Party’s petition to restore Te Reo Māori names to two Wellington electorates after the Representation Commission announced that the names of the Rongotai and Ōhāriu electorates would be changed to Wellington Bays and Wellington North earlier in August this year.

For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Oto spoke with Greens MP Ricardo Menendez-March about all of these issues.