Centre green party sets out its wares

A new environmentally-focused party has launched promising to boost conservation spending by $1 billion and work with either of the main parties.

Business broker Vernon Tava, a former Green Party member and failed leadership aspirant, launched the Sustainable NZ party in Wellington yesterday.

He said New Zealand was ready for a ‘‘full-time’’ environmental party that could work with both sides of the political spectrum, directly attacking his former party.

‘‘If you’ve wanted to vote for the environment, you’ve had to vote for a party that has acted as a clearing house for Left-of-Labour activists, that often put social issues ahead of the environment,’’ Tava said.

Tava made a business-friendly pitch to voters, saying there was no need for a revolution to achieve environmental goals and that the Greens had failed by focusing on ‘‘eco-socialism’’ and ‘‘the failed ideologies of the 20th century’’.

‘‘We will work with rather than against our farmers and industry.

‘‘We are not prophets of doom. We are an optimistic party.’’

He said New Zealand should ‘‘lead where we can’’ on climate change but not ‘‘suffer serious economic consequences as a result of that’’.

He supported agriculture going into the Emissions Trading Scheme at some point in the future, saying farmers had to be protected.

The $1b conservation boost, which Tava says can come out of the provincial growth fund, would be invested over four years.

That would add about 50 per cent to current conservation funding of around $500 million a year, dwarfing a boost the Greens secured in Budget 2018.

The party would pledge to make sure no more native species went extinct, with a

‘‘If you’ve wanted to vote for the environment, you’ve had to vote for a party that has acted as a clearing house for Left-of-Labour activists ...’’

Vernon Tava, pictured

doubling of predator-free funding.

‘‘We could spend a relatively modest amount of money even in the terms of a New Zealand government budget and have a massive impact,’’ Tava said.

Tava also attacked the Greens for not being open to scientific advantages like gene editing.

His party would fight for a $60m a year boost to research funding.

Party secretary Helen Cartwright was the fifth person to sign up to the party, resigning from the National Party to do so.

Cartwright believed there was a space in the political market for a business-focused environmental party.

‘‘Because I’m a business owner and because I’m an entrepreneur the Green Party never really did it for me,’’ Cartwright said.

She left the National Party as they were ‘‘not moving’’ on the environment.

Tava faces an uphill battle to win entry to Parliament.

No party without a current MP has ever breached the 5 per cent threshold necessary to enter Parliament without winning a constituency seat.

Green voters at the last election were overwhelmingly Left-wing.

National deputy leader Paula Bennett said she thought the party had a shot, as there were many voters who were upset the Greens had gone into coalition negotiations and won a referendum on cannabis instead of more environmental policy.

‘‘I think they’ve thought really well through their policies,’’ Bennett said.