Greens to select new coleader

WELLINGTON: Green MP Marama Davidson appears to be the frontrunner to replace Metiria Turei as the party’s coleader when the votes are counted tomorrow.

But if it was up to the Greens’ coalition partners, New Zealand First and Labour would prefer JulieAnne Genter to triumph.

The coalition partners have been impressed by how Ms Genter has performed as a minister, and see her as less of a risk to the Labourled Government than Ms Davidson.

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

Ms Davidson has campaigned on her ability to criticise Labour more openly because, unlike Ms Genter, she is not a minister.

She singles out a moratorium on deepsea oil exploration and fracking on which she would take Labour to task.

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

Ms Davidson, who previously worked at the Human Rights Commission and on domestic violence issues, is believed to have slightly more support than Ms Genter in the coleader race, which is voted on by party members.

But the Green membership have made surprise decisions before, picking rookie James Shaw as coleader in 2015 and nonMP Russel Norman in 2006.

Ms Davidson’s Maori heritage and activist background appeal to the party’s base, and she would complement the more centrist, businessfriendly Mr Shaw. — NZME