Wellington, Feb 24 NZPA - New Zealand's commercial fisheries are worth more than $4 billion and make a vital contribution to the economy, Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley says.

Wellington, Feb 10 NZPA - The Green Party is vowing to "stop the bulldozers" and environmental groups are outraged over the Government's decision to allow mining on conservation land.

Wellington, Jan 28 NZPA - A man once arrested while dressed up as Ronald McDonald is to be the Green Party's new MP in Parliament. The youngest MP at 28-years-old, Gareth Hughes will take outgoing MP and former party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons' spot in Parliament.

By Maggie Tait of NZPA Wellington, Jan 28 NZPA - After 13 love-hate years in Parliament, Green Party founding member and former co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons leaves next month.

Wellington, Nov 26 NZPA - There should be a halt to commercial catching of the threatened longfin eel, says a group concerned about the species' future.

Wellington, Nov 23 NZPA - Prime Minister John Key has dismissed as a photo opportunity December's United Nations conference in Copenhagen aimed at clinching a new global climate deal.

Wellington, Nov 18 NZPA - Lucy Lawless and Jim Salinger only got as far as the Beehive front desk when attempting to give Prime Minister John Key a boarding pass to Copenhagen today.

Wellington, Nov 18 NZPA - Prime Minister John Key will be offered $4781 by Lucy Lawless and Jim Salinger today in an attempt to get him to a climate change conference in Denmark next month.

Wellington, Aug 28 NZPA - Opening the conservation estate to mining could put New Zealand's $20 billion tourism industry at risk, the Tourism Industry Association said today as opposition to the Government's decision to carry out a stocktake of valuable mineral resources increased.

Wellington, Aug 28 NZPA - Greenpeace wants the mining industry to identify which areas of conservation land it is interested in mining.