The First XV: How they rate
Mood of the Boardroom party’s sole leader.
“It has become a joke,” says a banker. “The Greens were clearly out to steal votes from Labour with their announcement of a no-questionsasked welfare policy, and Labour have clearly done their best to steal those votes back again, helped by Ms Turei’s extraordinary performance.”
Chief executives had to this point considered Shaw an asset to the Green Party. He has an impressive background, with a pre-politics career in management consulting, working offshore with multinationals to develop their sustainable business practices.
CEOs believe the Greens should now “stick to their knitting” and refocus on environmental policies instead of standing by while Labour and National grab terrritory.
A banking boss says: “If James Shaw can make the Greens a truly environmental party — rather than a party of social justice activists and protests — that will be good.
“It will push Labour and National to up their game around New Zealand’s pressing environmental issues.”
“The Greens need to provide the necessary environmental platform and stand strongly on that platform,” says a wine industry boss. “Sadly, they have neglected the environmental aspect for a Labour agenda.”
Labour’s eleventh-hour leadership change to Ardern has seen her reclaim the progressive agenda as her party hoovers up the soft Green vote.
An automotive sector boss said the leadership spill had demonstrated they are not sure themselves whether they are environmentalists, leftwingers or a Third Way party.
“Talk to James and you might think the latter, but I’m no longer sure and Jacinda might be better without them.” Some 78 per cent of CEOs now think that the memorandum of ticular was in the polls,” says Deloitte CEO Thomas Pippos. “In terms of today, I would have thought the Greens would be better placed out of it and more focused on Green issues in and around the centre; as they could naturally, under an MMP environment, be within successive Governments for extended periods of time.”
During Three’s recent The Nation debate, Shaw was asked why the Green Party did not transcend left and right as it said it would when it was set up.
Shaw explained: “We felt it was only fair to voters who want to know which way their vote is going to count that we would say we’re with the parties of change.
“If you want a progressive, Labourled government, the Green Party has to be at the heart of that government because they won’t be able to govern without us.”
But many CEOs disagree, saying that a blue-green government is one they could get behind.
“Greens should work with National to form a government” says Onno Mulder, City Care Group CEO.
Mainfreight group managing director Don Braid offers the Green Party and Shaw sage advice: “Get on and believe in yourselves rather than worrying about who you might need at your side, or not!”
— Tim McCready