Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson unveils party’s election manifesto

ANALYSIS: Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson has unveiled the party’s 2023 election manifesto in a wide-ranging speech.

Davidson said she was “excited” to reveal the manifesto at the party’s election year conference, which she and co-leader James Shaw said would set the Greens apart from other parties.

“As we approach one of the most consequential elections we have ever had, I know Aotearoa needs our solutions more than ever,” Davidson told party members on Sunday afternoon in Auckland.

“These next three months will be a fight for the future of Aotearoa.”

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Green members and volunteers have spoken a lot this week about wanting to capitalise on a point of difference between them and Labour.

They’re hoping to benefit from the early release of their manifesto, as well as their new local campaign strategy, to recruit and mobilise some new volunteers this election season.

Day one of the party conference saw delegates vote on key party positions, including on whether they still supported the party’s leaders. Both co-leaders, Shaw and Davidson, passed their first election hurdle and won the confidence vote.

While they both seemed confident they’d still be in the job the next day, the confirmation of their roles was expected to lighten the mood at the Auckland conference.

The Green rules require co-leaders to maintain at least 75% support of the party leadership in order to keep their jobs. While Davidson’s position was never in doubt, Shaw was less confident.

At last year’s Green AGM in July, he lost his job – albeit temporarily. By September, he was reinstated as a co-leader because despite the leadership challenge nobody stood against him.

Grey skies, the confidence votes, and some remaining disquiet about the fallout with Elizabeth Kerekere, made for a downbeat Saturday.

Shaw’s climate change speech, where he urged Green supporters to rally behind the cause for a “less bad” world, did little to lighten the mood.

“A 1.3 degree world is less bad than a 1.4 degree world,” he said, before concluding: “No room for marginal improvements. This is it.”

He also discussed a plan to reward landowners, through the Emissions Trading Scheme, for emissions sequestration and private conservation projects.

Shaw said the mood was actually “buoyant” on Saturday.

His speech was designed to highlight Green Party coalition successes, while also urging supporters against complacency going into the election.

He stressed the challenges of negotiating with a majority Government, saying Labour hadn’t taken the “climate crisis” seriously.

Despite venting frustrations, Shaw did not entertain the idea of negotiating with National. While he chided Labour ministers, who he said “blocked” climate mitigation efforts, he was far more critical of National.

“Make no mistake, a National-led Government that is beholden to the Act Party would reverse all the progress we have made over the last six years,” he said.