Greens boost women, youth, diversity in final caucus list

Cult sports show The Crowd Goes Wild is about to lose its star host as the Greens unveil an election list which has seen Hayley Holt boost up the rankings to an electable position.

The party has unveiled its finalised caucus lineup, with membership voting in youth, talent and boosting a number of women up the ranks.

Auckland firebrand Chloe Swarbrick has risen just inside the top 10, along with human rights lawyer Golriz Ghahraman – based on current polling, both would be assured of becoming MPS following the September election.

The party’s candidate for Te Tai Hauarau, Jack Mcdonald, has dropped to 13, but remains in an electable position – the party currently has 14 MPS.

But the biggest rise is TV celebrity Hayley Holt, who has gone from 29 after the initial vote to 17 on the list. While Holt has voiced reticence about stepping into Parliament too soon, she remains a vocal Green Party campaigner and is also the party’s candidate for Helensville.

She confirmed she would be stepping down from hosting The Crowd Goes Wild by June 23, which would be the start of the regulated campaign period.

Co-leaders Metiria Turei and James Shaw have set the lofty goal of growing the party to 20 MPS in the next Parliamentary term. But positions nearing that top order remain precarious, and the party would need to lift its vote share to 15 per cent or more to bring 18-20 MPS into Parliament. It’s currently polling at about 10 per cent.

Failure to do so could mean the end of the political line for party veteran MPS Denise Roche and David Clendon who were bumped down to 15 and 16 respectively.

Jostling among the top five has also seen freshman MP Marama Davidson edge out Julie Anne Genter to claim the third rank, with Genter in fourth.

Shaw said the trajectory of party polling was heading in the right direction, and so was the party makeup. ‘‘We are delighted, that there are new, younger, strong women in this lineup. And like I said, we’re really proud of the fact that this is the strongest lineup of female candidates – not just of the Greens – but of any political party in New Zealand history.’’

Turei said the list showed the party’s desire for ‘‘youthful and diverse’’ representation. ‘‘It’s certainly a sign the party wants new and fresh talent in this caucus – none of the MPS have dropped beyond what is an entirely possible vote at this election.’’