Greens fill void with big ideas
NZ First described as ‘millstone’ for coalition government at campaign launch
The Green Party has taken a dig at its other governing parties which haven’t released substantial policies by outlining its key battlefronts if returned to power.
It yesterday released a comprehensive 52-page document outlining the bedrock on which it will form its policies and negotiate a potential future coalition agreement.
The Greens also launched their campaign slogan and commercials which urge New Zealanders to “think ahead, act now” when they head into the voting booths on September 19.
Among them are the promises to ban greyhound racing and establish an Animal Welfare Minister, introduce a $325 per week Guaranteed Minimum Income for the out-of-work and bring forward the 100 per cent renewable electricity target by five years to 2025.
Co-leader James Shaw said the decisions the next Parliament makes would affect New Zealand for generations.
“We made a deliberate choice to fill the policy void at this election.
“The country is currently facing the single biggest economic crisis in many generations and we think this election should be about ideas and about our vision for our future.”
At the launch of the manifesto yesterday, Shaw said the policy platform would “serve as a basis for negotiations as we seek to form a new Government after the election with the Labour Party” — specifically leaving out NZ First. He said ideally the Greens would get back into Government “unencumbered”.
This week NZ First leader Winston Peters said the Greens were “away with the fairies”, with Shaw hitting back calling NZ First “an agent of chaos”. Yesterday Shaw hit back saying NZ First had been “more of a millstone than a handbrake”.
Co-leader Marama Davidson said releasing the manifesto wasn’t a direct shot at the Labour Party, which has signalled it won’t release any policy statements until the final weeks of the campaign.
“It’s what we stand for, it’s what we have always stood for and it’s what we will continue to fight for.
“We know that people want us to focus on the issues right now. We know that people want their politicians to be heads-down, doing the work and talking about how we are going to resolve some of the biggest issues that all of us are facing.”
Davidson said Covid-19 meant Aotearoa had the chance to reimagine itself in a way that didn’t leave people behind.
“Future generations will judge us by the decisions we make today. I want my grandchildren to know that we made smart decisions with their wellbeing in mind.”
The Greens have already unveiled two of “about six” fully-costed policies, including their Green Energy Plan which would immediately ban new industrial coal boilers, end coal use by 2030 and upgrade all state homes with solar panels.
Its other policy was its Poverty Action Plan which would see a $325 guaranteed minimum income for students and the unemployed, a Universal Child Benefit of $100 for each child under 3 years old which would be paid for by new wealth taxes.
Davidson said the Greens had learned from their first-ever term in Government they could work with other parties to achieve wins while “maintaining our differentiation”.
And Shaw said they weren’t taking anything for granted, given the polls. The latest 1News Colmar Brunton poll put the Greens at 6 per cent — just above the threshold to get back into Parliament.
“The situation is very fluid and we’re not just going to sit back on our laurels and assume we’re going to get back into Government.”
We think this election should be about ideas and about our vision for our future. Greens co-leader James Shaw