Davidson has edge as Greens cast votes

Green MP Marama Davidson appears to be the frontrunner to replace Metiria Turei as the party’s co-leader when the votes are counted tomorrow.

But if it was up to the Greens’ coalition partners, NZ First and Labour would prefer Julie-Anne Genter to triumph.

The coalition partners have been impressed with how Genter has performed as a minister, and see her as less of a risk than Davidson to the Labour-led Government.

Some within Labour and NZ First were concerned that the three-party coalition was already vulnerable to being called disjointed, and that the more unpredictable Davidson would be more likely to create instability.

Davidson has campaigned on her ability to criticise Labour more openly because unlike Genter she is not a minister. She singles out a moratorium on deep sea oil exploration and fracking where she would take Labour to task.

Genter has also said it would be crucial for the Greens to have an independent voice in Parliament if it was to survive, though she has promised not to criticise Labour in her portfolio areas – health, women’s affairs and transport.

Davidson, who previously worked at the Human Rights Commission and on domestic violence issues, is believed to have slightly more support than Genter in the co-leader race, which is voted on by party members. But the Green membership have made surprise decisions before, picking rookie James Shaw as co-leader in

2015 and non-MP Russel Norman in

2006.

Davidson’s Maori heritage and activist background appeal to the party’s base, and she would complement the more centrist, businessfriendly Shaw. She is seen as a natural replacement for Turei, who quit as coleader in August after admitting to defrauding Work and Income while on a benefit 20 years ago.

Out of the two co-leader candidates, Genter has been the more successful campaigner. She is also seen as having broader appeal beyond the Green Party, similarly to Shaw.

Genter won 15 per cent of the vote for the Greens in the Mt Albert electorate at the general election while competing against highly popular Labour leader Jacinda Ardern, well above the Greens’ overall result of 6.3 per cent. Davidson won 7.2 per cent of the party vote in Tamaki Makaurau.