Opposition parties in joint event
Labour and the Green Party will jointly lay out their agenda for 2017 at the first ever ‘‘state of the nation’’ event involving both parties.
However there will be no joint policy between the parties at the event, said Labour leader Andrew Little.
The two left-wing parties announced the event yesterday, saying Little and Green Party coleader Metiria Turei would ‘‘discuss the social and economic challenges and opportunities facing the country and present a vision of the stable, responsible, alternative that the parties will offer New Zealand’’.
Speaking to media in Martinborough, where Little and the Labour caucus were having a three-day retreat, Little said the joint event was about ‘‘showing we can do things together, even if at the same time we’re competing in the Mt Albert by-election’’.
‘‘People want to know in an election campaign that we have potential supporters, coalition partners, and the Green Party is one of those.
‘‘I think what people will see and continue to see is that we’re two different parties, we have differences and common ground.’’
He said the event, which would take place in Auckland on January 29, was an example of the closer working relationship between the two parties after they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last May.
Little said that since the MOU was signed, the two parties had been meeting more often and discussing ideas together, but either party standing aside in specific seats in the election wasn’t part of the plan.
‘‘The memorandum of understanding allows us to talk about electoral accommodations. We had some preliminary discussions last year about that, but in the end we’ve agreed what each party does in each electorate is up to them.
‘‘So there ‘s no agreement in any particular electorate in terms of what parties might stand what candidates,’’ he said.
At the time the MOU was announced, Turei said it would provide ‘‘crystal-clear clarity’’ that was lacking in the last two elections about an alternative government.
It included an agreement to cooperate in Parliament and investigate a joint policy and/or campaign.
Little said Grant Robertson would be finance minister in a Labour-green government but no other discussions had been held over other roles.
Turei said the shape of a Cabinet would come much further down the track, after the election.
- Fairfax NZ